The 13th Digit
by Angie731
Summary: A strange young girl comes into Max's life. No one knows anything about her, but the surprising revelation that they discover may bring an end to the war on transgenics...ML
1. Prologue: Crash and Burn

Disclaimer: If, in a perfect world, I owned Dark Angel, I would be writing episodes for cash, not fanfic for fun…So no, if you're still wondering, I don't own Dark Angel, but I do own Justin, Dalianna, her family and all her X-siblings, but I'm more than willing to share.  If you'd like to use them, please just ask.  Thank you.

Timeframe: After "Freak Nation", end of Season 2

PROLOGUE

June 2020

Dalianna sat staring out the dark hotel room window into the pounding rain beyond.  She figured maybe if she stared long enough or hard enough, that her mind would settle into bliss, and she would be able to forget it all.  She would be able to forget all of her troubles, her past and all the problems it entailed.  She stared until her eyes glossed over, and she started to loose feeling in the palm of the hand she was leaning on.  She stared so hard, she didn't even hear Justin come up behind her.

"Dali?" hearing his voice startled her from her thoughts, but she continued staring out the window.

"Yeah?"

"Why don't you come to bed?"

It was a simple question. _I wonder if he's asking rhetorically…she asked herself.  If he were anyone else, she might have snapped at them.  But he wasn't just anyone, he was her best friend.  The one person she could count on, that had stood by her through thick and thin._

"Silly Justin," she said finally glancing back at him with a tiny smile, "you know I don't sleep…" She turned back to the window. "Much."

"Yeah, but we've been through so much lately…I thought maybe you might want to catch up." He was coming closer, and then she could feel his hand on her shoulder, then sweeping her braids aside to expose the barcode on the back of her neck.  She shuddered.

"You know, you really shouldn't stare."

"Why not?" he countered. "I think it's kinda cool."

"It's not cool," she answered whirling around on him. "It's the mark of Cain."

"It's special...you know, like a birthmark."

She knew he was only trying to appease her, but it didn't make it any easier.  She was sensitive when it came to dealing with Manticore issues.  She still had mixed feelings about the place.  She turned back toward the window.

"Only people who are born have birthmarks."

"But you **were **born."

"I was **made**. There's a difference."  She knew she should try not to be angry with him.  He had stayed with her through everything.  After the initial shock wore off when she had told him who she really was and where she had come from, he had hugged her tight and told her that God himself couldn't keep him from protecting her.  She knew then what real love was.  They sat for a few moments in silence, staring together out into the stormy night.  "Sunshine City" she had sarcastically nicknamed Seattle after the first week she'd spent there.  Not only did it reflect the weather, but the people's demeanor as well.

Justin's voice broke the silence. "What does it mean?"

"Huh?" she'd gotten lost in her thoughts again.

"The barcode," he repeated, "What does it say?"

"3357818570927…it's my designation."

"You're identity is a number?" he asked gently.

"Yeah, just like a prison inmate.  Ironic isn't it?" she scoffed.

"You remember when your parents took us to that football game."

She smiled. "How could I forget? Eagles vs. the 49ers, Superbowl XLIV…That was the first time I had ever even seen a football game.  Afterwards, we went out to the park and had our own game.  We played till the stars came out.  That was the best day of my life."

"Really? Mine was when I met you."  She didn't say anything, but continued gazing into the rain.

"What made you think of that?" she finally asked.

"Struggling to find a happy thought," he answered.  She nodded slowly.

"How long is it going to be like this?"

He didn't answer, but instead lied back on the bed.  She stared out into the night for a few minutes longer, cogitating on the hell that her life had become, and then she joined him.  He was half-asleep, but involuntarily put his arm around her when he felt her head on his shoulder.  A bittersweet smile crossed her face as she stared up at him in the night.  _He's all I have left… she thought to herself.  __And if it weren't for him, I probably wouldn't have even made it this far._

"Good night Justin," she whispered, kissing him on the cheek.  Then she realized how exhausted she really was, as the weight that was her eyelids became too heavy to bear, and she drifted into a dark swirling abyss.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Dali found herself walking in a forest.  It very much reminded her of the one they had near her old home.  She came to a clearing.  Justin stood in the middle, and reached out for her.

"Justin," she asked looking around, "what's going on?"  Her voice sounded weird, kind of silvery, like she was listening to it under water.  She walked nearer to him, and he took her into his arms in a warm embrace.

"I'll always be with you Dali," he whispered. "Never forget…" his voice echoed in her ear.  Suddenly, a shot rang out, and his body went limp in her arms.  He fell to the   ground, as she raised her hands to her face only to see them covered in his warm blood.

"You'll never get away…" came a cold calculating voice from behind her.  She turned to see Lydecker looking at her lovingly.  Then he raised his gun, the petrifying fear keeping her rooted where she stood, and the gun went off…

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

She awoke suddenly, as if someone had shouted in her ear.  _Something's wrong. Panicked, she sat up looking around.  Justin lay sleeping peacefully next to her.  She sighed with relief.  Smiling a little, she climbed carefully out of bed and headed toward the bathroom.  She closed the door behind her, and switched on the light.  It took a few minutes for her eyes to adjust, then she turned on the water in the sink.  _It was just a dream,_ she thought sleepily as she splashed her face with the cold liquid.  _Justin's always going to be with me…he promised.  And if I have no one else in my life, at least I have him…the rest of the world should be so lucky._  She smiled at herself in the mirror.  Then, out of the blue, she heard it.  The breaking of glass, and the loud boom that could only be the sound of a gun being fired.  Her eyes widened.  _Please God NO! Don't let it be…_she prayed, but she knew, even as she turned to run out of the room, that for the second time in less than a year, her world was crashing down._

Hey everyone!

Please read and review.  Constructive criticism is welcome, but this is my first fanfic, so please be gentle.  There's definitely more to come.  Thanks for reading, hope you come back for later chapters!

Angie731


	2. Chapter 1: Close encounters of the trans...

Disclaimer: If, in a perfect world, I owned Dark Angel, I would be writing episodes for cash, not fanfic for fun…So no, if you're still wondering, I don't own Dark Angel, but I do own Justin, Dalianna, her family and all her X-siblings, but I'm more than willing to share.  If you'd like to use them, please just ask.  Thank you.

Timeframe: After "Freak Nation", end of Season 2

Note from author: Hey, I know the story might seem kind of weird, because it doesn't jump right into the whole Max/Logan saga, and there's lots of unanswered questions, but that's what causes suspense! I'll get there, trust me.  Besides, what kind of writer would I be if there were no background info on my characters?

Chapter 1

November 2020

Max knocked on Logan's door. _I hope he's here…_

"Knock, knock. Got a minute?" 

Logan looked up.  _For you?_ I've got a lifetime._  "Oh, hey.  Yeah, sure.  What's up?"_

"We need some supplies, we're almost out of gas, and Joshua ate all the Little Debbie cakes that we were saving for the kids."

Logan smiled. "Yeah, I guess you could say he's got a sweet tooth.  What do you need me to do?"

Max smiled back.  _He's so cute when he smiles…_"Keep an eye on things for a while.  I had to break a couple of X-6's up this morning, they were fighting over Alec."

"Again?" Logan asked. _ Go figure. _ Then he paused.  "You know, if we got rid of him, things would be so much quieter around here."  _And I can stop wondering what his motives really are._

"You took the words right out of my mouth," Max answered and headed out the door.  "I'll be back soon."

"Do you need someone to go with you?" Logan asked quickly.  _Logan, you idiot, what you really mean is "do you need ME to go with you?"  But how could you help, you're a cripple remember?_

Max poked her head in at him.  "Nah, thanks for the offer, but I think I can handle it.  I'll sneak out the back."

_See?_ "Hey Max, be careful," he added.  She nodded at him and then left.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Outside the building, Max walked her bike to an opening in the fence and peeked out.  For the first time in a long time, there were no protestors.  And luckily for her, it was about time for the guards to change shifts.  She waited patiently, watching their every move.  After a few minutes, they got up and walked over to two other officers, and they began to chat.  _It's about time. _Max pulled her bike through the fence, got on it, revved it up, and flew past the guards before they even knew what happened.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A few miles away was a store.  Max walked in, and began to look around for the things that she needed.  A young girl with an arm full of stuff bumped into her.  The things fell to the ground.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" she said quickly gathering up her things.

_Watch where I'M going?_  "Sorry about that," Max replied.  She began to help her pick up the items.  Then she looked closely into the girl's honey brown eyes.  _Hey, wait a minute…"Do I know you?" she asked slowly._

Dali just looked at her for a second.  _Ok, this girl is either seriously flipped out…or she's from Manticore.  Either way is bad for me.  I'm outta here._  Then she looked around slowly, stood up with her arms once again full, and without another word headed quickly toward the back of the store.

Max curiously followed her.  _What's her dealio?_  She watched as the girl headed toward the back door with her arms full of store items.  Apparently, the store owner saw as well.

"Hey, you!" he called.  "Come back here!  You didn't pay for that stuff!"  Dali took off running.  As she burst through the back door, the alarm went off.  She took off at bullet speed.  _I knew it! Max thought.  __Another Manticore turned bad-ass.  Well, I guess I've got no one to blame but myself.  She ran after her, but the girl was really fast._

"Wait!" she called.  "I just want to talk to you."

Dali looked back at her, but didn't stop running.  _Is she still following me?  This is ridiculous!  I'll never give in to Manticore…not over my dead body._  In her haste to see who this crazed mysterious girl was following her, she didn't see the uprooted tree in front of her.  Her boot caught, and the food went sprawling.

Max caught up with her, she kneeled down next to her, and pulled her up by her chin.  "What did you think you were doing?"

Dali eyed her defiantly.  "I'll never go back!"

_What is she talking about?  Does she think I'm here to take her back to Manticore?  Only if she's transgenic…_ Max checked the back of her neck; sure enough, there was a barcode there.  Max pinned her to the ground.  _This could be trouble.  "Where did you get that barcode?" she asked._

"Prison," she answered calmly, "Cell block G-4."

_Great, another genetically engineered smart ass…just what I need._  She tightened her grip on the girl's chin.  "I don't remember seeing you there. Where did you get it??"

"I was born with it ok? Jeez."  Suddenly, Dali's eyes went wide.  "They're coming."

"Who?" Max asked.

"They're gonna take me back, I won't let them." She knocked Max over to her side, and got up running.  Max ran after her.  Then she ran to a big boulder, and hid behind it.  Max was right behind her.

"This was the best you could do?" Max whispered sarcastically.

"We're in the middle of the woods, what was I supposed to do, hide behind a tree?" Dali hissed back.

_Actually…_Max thought, eyeing a nearby tree with low branches.  She could hear the footsteps getting closer.  She peeked around the boulder, and then turned to the girl and put her fingers to her lips.  Then she signed that there were 2 soldiers coming, and to get to the tree and up into the branches.  Dali nodded her approval.  The soldiers with their guns drawn came to the boulder.  They jumped in front of it, expecting them to be there, but they were already gone, behind them, Max and Dali leapt up into the tree.

They sat on branches about 15 feet up, watching the two soldiers below.

"This is team Delta," one of them said into a walkie. "We're clear over here.  Roger."  Then they heard a rustling from above.  They looked up.  "Scratch that last command base! We have the target insight-"  Max and Dali jumped out of the tree and landed on the soldiers knocking them out cold, but it was already too late, back-up had come.  Max and the girl began running yet again.  Farther and farther into the woods.  When they came to a clearing with a steep ravine, they jumped down and hid under an overhang.  They then sat breathing heavily, as they listened for any sign of oncoming men.  After a few moments of silence, Dali spoke up.

"I think we lost them." _I _hope _we lost them._

Max nodded.  "Yeah I think so."  They smiled at each other and stood up.  Suddenly, a shrill whizzing noise was heard, and Dali felt a sharp pain in her neck.  _…Or maybe not…_  She reached up slowly and pulled out the dart.  Max's eyes widened.  "Oh, no."

The girl looked at her with fear in her eyes.  "Go get help."  _Don't let them turn me…_That was the last coherent thought she had, and then there was a shadowy void as she felt her body drop to the ground.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A few minutes later, some men in uniform approach the girl lying on the ground.  They stand aside, and none other than Ames White steps forward.  He looks at the young girl and feels for a pulse, he turns her over, and sees her barcode.  Then he turns and addresses the men.

"Where's the other one?"

One of the men speaks up. "The other what, sir?" 

"The other transgenic!" he answered angrily.  "The store owner said two girls ran out of the store with unpaid-for items.  This is one of them…obviously.  The other perfectly matches the description of 452.  Now where is she?"

"Sir, we only apprehended one suspect."

Ames looks at them lividly for a moment, then his expression softens.  He turns back to Dali.  "Ok, pack her up and get her ready for shipment.  And make sure the bounds are tight."  The soldiers nod, and head off.  Ames looks off into the trees, and then up at the skies.  "You know 452, you always manage to slip through the cracks.  But I guess everyone else isn't as lucky.  I've got one of yours now.  So I guess I'll be seeing you soon."  He smiles evilly, and heads back into the forest.

To Be continued…..(mwah ha ha ha) J


	3. Chapter 2: Captured, Contained and Quest...

Disclaimer: If, in a perfect world, I owned Dark Angel, I would be writing episodes for cash, not fanfic for fun…So no, if you're still wondering, I don't own Dark Angel, but I do own Justin, Dalianna, her family and all her X-siblings, but I'm more than willing to share.  If you'd like to use them, please just ask.  Thank you.

Timeframe: After "Freak Nation", end of Season 2

Note from author: Hey guys, thanks for the reviews! It's nice to know that my far-out imagination is bringing happiness to other peeps.  Ok, I'm gonna keep it goin.  Enjoy!

Chapter 2

Captured, Contained and Questioned

Sitting silently on a branch not far from him, Max watched Ames walk off after the soldiers.  _Damn him, damn him to hell! she thought with narrowed eyes.  _What could he want with her?  That girl…I know I've seen her somewhere before…maybe back at Manticore?  It doesn't matter.  There's no telling what White will put her through if I don't get her out of there.  I need backup._  She leapt from the tree landing with a soft thud into the murky grass below, and took off through the trees._

A few minutes later, she reached the store, there were only a few soldiers standing in back, talking with the hysterical store owner.  With lightning speed, she dashed by them and hopped on her bike.

"Hey," one of them called. "It's 452! After her!"

Max couldn't get her bike started.  _Of all the times…Come on, come on_.  A few seconds later, she could feel the razor sharp burn that accompanied the shock coming from several tazers landing on her back.  It was then that her bike roared to life, and she took off.

One of the soldiers reported into his walkie. "Sir, we've sighted 452, she's moving west on I-94 towards Terminal City.  Should we pursue?"  He waited for a reply.  A few moments later it came.

"That's a negative team Charlie, I have a feeling we'll be seeing her soon enough.  Return to base."

"Roger," he answered, and called for his soldiers to move out.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Max blazed off down the road towards Terminal City.  Rearing up on her back wheel, she broke through the boundary into the place she had recently named home.

"Damn it," she heard a guard behind her call.  "That's the third time this week!"  She smiled to herself, and pulled into the garage.  Shutting her bike off, she ran through the back door and up the steps into the common room.

"Hey guys!" she called. "I got a transgenic girl caught by White; I need a rescue team ASAP!"

Dix stepped forward.  "I'm with you Max."

"Me too," Joshua answered.

"I'll come," Logan responded, "I need to test out these comms anyway.  Do you know where he's keeping her?"

"I'm not sure.  But I've been hearing rumors that White's cult is using a building not far from where Manticore used to be."

"That close huh?"

"Always set up camp where your enemies would least expect it."

"Ok, well, no better place to start.  We need a plan."

"I've got one," she declared, "we move out at 2200 hours."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Dali awoke to find that she'd been blindfolded and tied to a pole.  She stood up slowly, trying to ignore the blinding white pain that shot through her head.  _I must have hit something on the way down.  My head is killing me!_  Then she heard a voice; it was a male voice that she didn't recognize.

"Hey! Welcome back to the land of the living." He tore the blindfold off.  She blinked slowly, allowing her eyes to adjust, and then looked at him carefully.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Oh, that my dear is irrelevant," he answered with a smile.  "Now you don't want to be here, and honestly, I don't want you here.  So let's make this as quick and painless, well for me, as possible.  Tell me where 452 is."

"I don't know what you're talking about."  He closed in on her, and clasped her hair in his fist, causing bolts of pain to shoot through her temples.

"The transgenic scum you were running with earlier.  Where is she?"

"How would I know?  I don't even know who she is!"

"Well, let's see if we can't help you to know." He pulled out a knife.  "Welcome to my world…"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Later on that night, Logan's Aztec pulled up outside what appeared to be a seriously dilapidated building.

"Ok," Max instructed them, "Dix, you take the west side, Joshua, you take the east.  Logan, you and I will come around through the back.  Everybody know what they're doing?" They nodded. "Then let's move out."  They each took a comm from Logan and placed it in their ear.  The doors to the Aztec opened, and they filed out.  "Ok, we're meeting back here in 30.  If any of us don't show up, the rest of us have to leave, and that's an order.  Got it?"  They nodded again.  "Ok, let's get this girl out of here."  The four of them approached the perimeter fence.  Max backed up a few steps, took a running start and leapt over the fence.  Logan walked up to the gate, turned the lock and pushed it open.  He raised his eyebrow at Max.  "Oh," she said, "I knew that."  They headed around the back of the building and hid behind some bushes.  Looking out towards what used to be a parking lot, they could see several hooded figures dancing around a fire.

"Guess this is the place." Logan piped up.  He looked up and saw an open window.  "We can get inside through there."  They climbed through the open window and landed in a small dark room that was full of crumpling boxes and rusty metal.  Being careful not to upset anything, they made their way towards the door.  Opening it led them out into a three way hallway.  Max signaled for Dix to go to the left and he headed off.  She signaled for Joshua to go to the right, and he headed off.  Then she and Logan moved down the middle.  She held out her hand to stop him.  A beam from a flashlight bounced on the wall not far ahead of them.  They ducked into a side hall just as a soldier rounded the corner.  He patrolled past them, and turned down a hall in the direction Joshua had left in.  They continued down the hallway and turned right when they reached the end.  They passed a few doors, and then once again, Max's arm shot out to stop Logan in his tracks.

"White," she murmured.

"Where?" he inquired.

"I hear him."  She walked by a few more doors, and then stopped in front of one with a faded glass window.  They could see White's figure moving back and forth, and hear the low hum of his voice.  Logan walked over to a grate near the door and pulled it out of the wall.  They both crawled in and followed it to the end.  When they reached the end, they peeked through the slits in the vent.  They could see him pacing in front of the girl, who was tied to a pole, head drooped.  Blood dripped from a gash in the side of her head, and from the corner of her lip.  Max could also see that she had several slices on her arm, each progressively deeper as they advanced up her arm.  White dismissed the guards who left the room.

"What's your name you waste of skin?" he asked her seething.

"I don't have one," Dali answered quickly.  _Distance yourself, distance yourself.  The sooner he figures out that you really don't know anything, the sooner you can get out of here._

"No of course not.  All of you X-series transgenic mutants are the same aren't you?"  She didn't answer, but her gaze followed him as he paced in front of her.  "It's ok, you don't have to answer, silence denotes consent." He continued pacing.  "Well, you're too young to be an X-5."

"I'm not an X-5," she retorted quickly.

"It doesn't matter!" he shouted, "All you freaks are the same to me."

"We're not freaks."  The sound of White's hand hitting her face rang throughout the room and echoed off the walls.  Max winced in her hiding place and turned away.

"It's ok, Max," Logan comforts.  "We're going to get her out.  We just have to wait."

"He's hurting her.  That bastard's hurting her.  She's just a kid," she whispered.

"No, she's a soldier.  Don't worry, just a few more minutes."

Dali picked her head up to look Ames in the eyes, defiance written all over her face.

"Is that insolence I see?  You've got guts kid." He paused.  "State your designation."  She just stared at him.  "State your designation!" he screamed in her face.

"X6-927!" she finally answered.

"927," he repeated with disgust. "It makes no matter, I hate all of you.  I hated you yesterday, I hate you today, and I will hate you tomorrow.  Ever since the day my father made you freaks he signed your death warrant.  For I swear that I will not rest until each and every one of you mistakes is erased."

"She will save us."

"452?" he said with a laugh. "You must be joking.  I thought so too, but when all this is over, and she realizes how many have died by her hand, maybe she'll kill herself…save us the job."  Logan stopped Max, who was getting good and ready to blow their cover.  "Oh, is that fear I see in your eyes?  When those incompetent idiots at Manticore made you, did they even put the fear gene in your DNA?"

Dali looked away.  "Every animal displays symptoms of apprehension."  White snatched her head back up to look at him.

"Is that a fact?" he pulled out a gun and held it to her temple.  "Well, you're made up of a cocktail of animals." He peered at her face.  "So tell me, X6-927, you feeling apprehension right now?"  Dali squeezed her eyes shut, trying to disregard the feeling of the cold metal against her feverish head.  White peered at her, and cocked the pistol.  Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, and a man in a white lab coat appeared.

"Fe'nos tal," he said.

"Fe'nos tal," White answered straightening up and putting the gun away.  "What can I do for you?"

"We just thought you might want to know that soldiers found another file while going through the rubble over in Manticore.  The information it holds is particularly interesting."  He opened the folder and showed it to White. "It seems that after all of their experimentation and gene manipulation, Manticore finally created the perfect soldier."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Thanks again!  Chapter 3 coming soon to a web page near you…


	4. Chapter 3 Escape and Evade

Disclaimer: If, in a perfect world, I owned Dark Angel, I would be writing episodes for cash, not fanfic for fun…So no, if you're still wondering, I don't own Dark Angel, but I do own Justin, Dalianna, her family and all her X-siblings, but I'm more than willing to share.  If you'd like to use them, please just ask.  Thank you.

Timeframe: After "Freak Nation", end of Season 2

Chapter 3

Escape and Evade

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, and a man in a white lab coat appeared.

"Fe'nos tol," he said.

"Fe'nos tol," White answered straightening up and putting the gun away.  "What can I do for you?"

"We just thought it might be of importance to you that soldiers found another file while going through the rubble over in Manticore.  The information it holds is particularly interesting."  He opened the folder and showed it to White. "It seems that after all of their experimentation and gene manipulation, Manticore finally created the perfect soldier."

"That's impossible," White interjected.  "If they created the perfect soldier, how come they kept creating generations of X-series soldiers?"

"Well apparently, it, like many scientific discoveries, was a mistake.  They tried manipulating the genes to include everything they had previously been successful with, feline, canine, shark, and even bat…and they expected the soldier to come out looking worse than several of their other anomalies.  Fortunately, for some reason, the genes mutated spontaneously at the last minute, and completely masked the physical expression of all of the animal traits."

"You mean it looks human?" White asked.

"Just like you or me."

"Uh-huh."

"Only the charred remains of the picture were found, so we're not sure what he looks like, but it is most certain that he's completely human."

"Right…" White said distractedly.  "Thanks for the update, why don't you give me a few more minutes, and uh, you can leave these with me."  He folded up a paper from the file and put it in his inner pocket.

"Yes sir," he answered, and quickly turned to leave.  The door echoed loudly as it swung shut behind him.  White turned back to Dali, who had been watching closely with interest.

"You, my dear, have been touched by the proverbial angel.  Duty calls.  But don't even begin to think that we're done here.  I will get information from you, even if it kills you."  

Dali promptly spit blood in his face.  "Well you can just take a long walk off a short pier pal," she said calmly but fiercely, "cause I ain't telling you nothing."

Pulling a small white hankie from his pocket, he wiped his face clean.  "We'll see about that."  He patted her lightly on the face, and left out the iron door.  Dali lowered her head.

"You can come out now," she said to the empty room.

Max kicked the grate in, and it landed on the floor with a clang.  She and Logan cautiously approached the young girl.

"Are you okay?" Max asked.

"What were you guys waiting for, the next millennia?"

"How did you-" Max began.

Logan finished for her. "-know we were here?"

"That's cute," Dali said. "Do you guys always finish each others sentences?"  Logan and Max glanced at each other briefly, and he began to work at the monstrous knots in the ropes containing her.  Dali cocked her head to the side and gazed warily at Max, then her eyes widened.

"I'm sorry," Max said distractedly, "I'm-"

"X5-452." Dali breathed cutting her off.

"-Max."  Max interposed, raising an eyebrow. "This is Logan.  Do you have a name?"

"X6-927."

"No, not a designation, a name. A real name."

Dali looked away, and when she finally answered, her voice was barely a whisper.  "My parents named me Dalianna, but everyone calls me Dali."

"Dali…," Max repeated, "like the Spanish painter Salvador.  That's pretty, I like it."

"Uh Max," Logan interrupted them, "these knots aren't budging."

" 'Course not," Dali said, "standard issue double barreled military square knots.  Harry Houdini couldn't get out of these."

"Who's Harry Houdini?" Max and Logan inquired simultaneously.

"Just reach in my left coat pocket, there should be a pocket knife inside."

"Ames didn't take it off you?"

"Who's Ames?" Neither one answered, but Max reached inside Dali's pocket, and pulled out a small blue knife.  Silently, Logan went back to work, cutting away the ropes.  After a few moments, Dali was free.  She ripped her shirt, and tied it around her arm to stop the cuts from bleeding.

They crept out, and back down the dark hall in the direction they had come from.

"Someone's coming," Dali whispered.

"I don't hear anyone." Max said.

"I do.  Hurry, hide."  The ducked quickly into another even darker side hall, as the figure rounded the corner.  He was moving to slowly to be patrolling; in fact, he almost seemed to be slinking.  He crept by their hiding place, and Dali leapt out and snatched him by the jacket.  The figure shrank back in obvious surprise.

"Joshua?" Max and Logan questioned.

"Hey little fella," he answered.

"Hey," Dali said releasing him, "you're Manticore."

"Yeah, was it the fur that gave me away?"

"Actually, yeah. I'm Dali." She stuck out her hand. "What's up?"

"What's up?" he repeated, unsteadily shaking her outstretched palm.

"Can we save this for later?  This place is giving me the creeps.  Let's bounce."  Max instructed.

"We blaze?" Joshua asked.

"That's the plan." Max answered.  The four of them crept back to the window they had entered from without further interruption.  Dix stood there waiting apprehensively.

"Jeez!  I thought you guys weren't gonna make it.  Half an hour's up in like 2 minutes!"  The five of them exited the building, and made their way towards the perimeter fence.  When they got there, Dali looked up at it, and backed up a few steps, preparing to leap and clear it.

"Before you even bother," Max stopped her, and walked up to the lock to let them out.  The gate gave a loud groan as it slowly opened.  Loud enough for a guard to hear.

"Hey!" he shouted.  Dali's head sprung around to look at him.  Before he could level his gun for a quick shot, she blurred over to him, snatched the gun from his hands, whirled around and landed a solid kick to his chest, knocking him out.  The five of them dashed to the Aztec and climbed in.  Then there was only the sound of screeching tires as it pealed off into the night.

They rode in silence for awhile, heading toward Terminal City.  No one really had anything to say.  Then, Max couldn't restrain herself any longer.  "I **know I know you from somewhere, I mean, more than just seeing you around Manticore."**

Dali smiled deliberately to herself.  "You _really_ don't remember do you?"  Max stared at her curiously.  "The night of the escape.  I was hiding in the trees, I saw you escaping.  You were running with someone.  Another soldier, X5-210."

"Jondie," Max whispered lethargically.  She could see the entire scene unfolding before her eyes; hear the soldiers communicating with each other, hot on her tail; feel the ice cold splash of the water as she fell through the ice. Dali's voice intercepted her thoughts.

"Then you fell through the ice.  The soldier's didn't see you.  You were safe for the moment, but when they left, you couldn't get out."

Max could see herself pounding on the ice, swimming, looking for any release from the dark, icy grave.

"You started panicking, but then-"

"-you saved me." Max disrupted her.  "You broke through the ice, and pulled me out.  I wanted to thank you, but you left."

"I had to lead the soldiers in the other direction.  I wanted you to get away, which you obviously did.  I thought maybe if you did, you would go get help and come back for the rest of us."

"I wanted to," Max said quickly, her eyes glistening slightly, "I wanted to everyday, but the world was slightly more different than I thought it would be.  And you see what a circus it is out there right now, can you imagine if I had tried to go to the police and tell them about Manticore?"  Dali nodded solemnly.

"That's what I figured.  That's why a few weeks later, a few of my brothers and sisters and Zack and I escaped."

"You escaped with Zack?"

"Yeah," Dali said staring off into space nostalgically.  "He kind of put himself in charge of us when he was placed in our unit after they tried reprogramming him.  If they knew it hadn't worked, he probably would be dead right now.  Where is my old buddy?"  It was Max's turn to look away.  Before she could answer, Logan spoke up.

"We're here."

They parked the car outside the perimeter fence, and headed off to Max's secret opening.  Silently sneaking through, they started back towards headquarters.  Inside, there was a bustle of happenings.  Everywhere you looked were transgenics and transhumans, going about one task or another.  A few kids seemed to be enthralled with cartoons on the television, mole and the artic nomlie were going at it again, and Luke was working on a bike.  Dali walked around taking everything in, and stopped to talk to Luke about the bike.  Logan went off to discuss something with Joshua, and Max spotted her homegirl talking with another transgenic girl about opening a beauty shop.  Max approached them.

"In Terminal City?  You wanna open a beauty shop in Terminal City?" she asked.

"And why not?  Girl, some of these girls' nails are screaming for a manicure," Cindy joked.

"Yeah aiight," she answered.  _That's my girl_.

"Boo, is that your sister over there?" she asked nodding towards Dali.  Max nodded.

"She's X-6, I caught her stealing from the grocery store, and she ended up getting caught by White.  So you know me, I had to bust her outta there."

"Damn, she fine."

Max laughed at that. "I think she's straight, so don't get too close."  She left to go over to Dali, and asked her if she wanted something to eat.  Upon her agreement, they left to find food.  In a small room off to the side, Dali saw empty box after empty box of Little Debbie cakes.  _Somebody likes sweets_, she thought.  As they rummaged through the boxes, Alec approached.

"Hey Max, I thought you might want to take a ride with me down to the store, you know, since you obviously didn't get anything."

"No thanks," she answered with an annoyed look.

He finally noticed Dali, kneeling by a box in the corner, and moved toward her.  "Hey, what's your name?"

She looked up at him with a cocked eyebrow and said "I don't have one."

He gave her a lopsided grin and promptly answered, "No offense, but I don't believe that one.  Anyone who's known Max for longer than 5 minutes and doesn't have a name, is probably dead.

"Is that a fact?  Well what's yours?"

He extended his hand and she shook it. "Alec, X-5."

"Well Alec, X-5, maybe I do have a name, and I just don't want to tell you what it is, did you ever consider that?"  Max couldn't help laughing to herself.  Alec turned away from her just as a young girl, probably around 8 or 9, sauntered into the room.

"Hi Alec," she said, completely oblivious of both Max and Dali, while admiring Alec with big bright eyes.

"Hello Susie," he responded with a look that clearly said 'Here we go again'.

"Mansie wants to know if she can borrow some money."

"For what?"

"So she can play pool against Richard."  Alec sighed, pulling out a wad of bills, knowing that the only way he was going to get rid of her was if he gave her the money.  He thrust a 20 into her outstretched palm.

"Here, scram."  She smiled at him before running out of the room.  Dali smiled and shook her head.  "What?" he asked with interest.

"That girl's got the hots for you."

"You don't say," he answered, then turned his attention back to Max.  "So you comin with or what?"  But she was looking at him with an odd look on her face.

"Where did you get all that cash?" she asked.  _He better not be doing what I think he's doing._  Of course, the guilty look on his face gave him clearly away.

"I won it playing darts down at the local tavern."  Dali looked over at him.  Her eyes seemed to bore holes through him.

"Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive."

Alec turned to look at her.  "I'm sorry?"

"You're lying," she responded finally pulling out a full box of snacks, "and we both know it." Max looked over at her with a surprised look on her face.  "You've been slinging the herb."  Alec's eyes were the size of quarters.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes you do." She pulled out one of the cakes and opened the wrapper. "Every week, you go collect from the drug dealers down on 4th street…no, 5th street.  And they pay you double for all the business you get."

Alec was so stunned; he completely forgot that he had been denying it.  "How do you know all this?"

"I did 18 months in Psy-ops. Psychopathy."

"You were crazy?" Alec asked confused.

"Not psychopath," she said exasperatedly, "Psychopathy-"

"-the ability to read minds," came a voice from the door.  They all looked up as Logan came in.  "Psychopathy is different from telepathy because you don't always need to be looking at the person, sometimes you can pick up thoughts just by being in the same room, or even just by thinking about them.  But the last I heard, it was completely experimental…"

"Yeah well, Manticore is about as experimental as they come," Dali rolled her eyes.

"You're a mind-reader?"  Max finally jumped in.

"How do you think I knew about the whole prison thing," she winked at her.

"I don't get it," Alec said, "If there's one thing about Manticore, it's that they've always been about purpose.  What was the reason for putting an X-series in with a psychic abilities unit?"

"Beats the hell outta me," Dali retorted.

"So wait a minute," Max interceded. "You've been reading our minds this entire time?"

"No way!" Dali exclaimed.  "Reading minds isn't like reading a book.  First of all, it hurts!  Right now, I have a headache bigger than the San Andreas Fault.  It can kill you if you're not trained for it.  Second of all, not everyone can be read.  The human mind…or the transgenic mind for that matter is very complex.  It takes a lot to understand even a little, and even more to read it," she explained finally biting into the cake.  "Ooh, this is good." She walked out of the room, leaving Logan, Alec and Max all staring after her.

Ok, I know this chapter was really long, but I wrote it and rewrote it and rewrote it.  I'm trying to improve my action-writing, it's easy for me to do dialogue, but I have to be able to fully explain what's going around everyone too.  And so the saga continues (dun-dun-dun) Chapter 4 soon.


	5. Chapter 4: Really Bad Memories

Disclaimer: If, in a perfect world, I owned Dark Angel, I would be writing episodes for cash, not fanfic for fun…So no, if you're still wondering, I don't own Dark Angel, but I do own Justin, Dalianna, her family and all her X-siblings, but I'm more than willing to share.  If you'd like to use them, please just ask.  Thank you.

Timeframe: After "Freak Nation", end of Season 2

A/N: Hey, this is a really long chapter….Unusually long, so pop the popcorn, grab a pillow, kick back and let your imagination do the rest…

Chapter 4

Really Bad Memories

The next few weeks went by without much interruption.  Dali became accustomed to life around Terminal City.  She had lived some different lifestyles, from being in Manticore, to living with her family, being on the run with Justin, back at Manticore, and finally on her own…But this was different than any of those.  The family atmosphere was there, but along with it, was an unspoken fear.  An uncertainty of not knowing what was going to happen next.

Dali began to enjoy her surroundings, the children liked her a lot.  The teens came to her for advice, and the adults respected her opinions.  She felt as though she almost belonged…but there was still something nagging at her…something she couldn't quite put her finger on.  She tried not to let it bother her, but sometimes, the feeling was hard to dismiss.  Then at night, she would pretend that none of the events of the last year had happened, and instead of sitting in a room full of genetically engineered soldiers, she was sitting at home with her family, watching television or eating dinner.

One typical night, she sat watching some young X-8's playing a game of poker.  Upon questioning them as to where they had learned such a game, they distinctly replied that Alec had taught them.  _Alec…of course, who else could be so irresponsible? she thought to herself.  The children were clearly caught up in the game._

"Full House!" one young girl exclaimed.  "Read 'em and weep boys!  She proceeded to gather the stack of dollar bills and candy they had collected in the center.

"Not so fast," one of the boys stopped her, and laid his cards before them.  "Royal flush…in diamonds."  He took the money and treats from her and placed them in front of him, noticeably counting his rewards.  The girl began to pout.

"I'm not playing any more!"

"Oh come on Danielle.  Don't be such a baby," the other boy instructed her.

"Fine, one more round."  The cards were dealt, and the children eyed each other, as the pile in the middle grew larger.  The boy with dark brown hair eyed Danielle.  She glanced at him, and was clearly surprised as she realized what he was doing.

"You're reading my mind!  That's not fair!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!  I just saw you."

Dali smiled to herself at the carefree way in which the children enjoyed each other's company.  She wished she too could forget all her troubles and for once just be able to relax.

"Dali…Dali?" came a voice from next to her.  She snapped from her thoughts as Alec approached her.  "How come you always look like you're so deep in thought?"

"Because I usually am.  Thinking that is…not something I suspect that you would be too familiar with."

"You know, you've been being smart with me from the very moment we met.  Is there any specific reason that you don't like me?"

Dali pretended to be thoughtful.  Then answered, "Nope, no reason."

"Whatever, I only came over here to let you know that Max is leaving to go over to Logan's and she wants to know if you want to come."  Dali didn't need further coaxing, she shot out of her chair, and was waiting by Max's bike before the girl even got there.

"Can I drive?"  Dali had asked the question every time she'd ridden the motorcycle, and had always gotten the same response.

"Hell no."

The drive went without incident, except for the drops of rain that began to fall as they climbed the steps to Logan's house.  Inside, it was very warm or maybe it was just very cold outside.  Logan had definitely done some redecorating since he'd moved in.  There was furniture, and light, and even running water and heat.  Max said Logan lived in a palace.  Logan said he lived in a dump.

He greeted them at the door, pleasantly surprised as if Max didn't make this trip at least 5 times a week.  If Logan wasn't with them at Terminal City, Max was at his place.  Dali commented that they spent more time together than conjoined twins.  Anyway, she found her way to the living room and sank into the couch as always.  Max joined Logan in the kitchen.

"Hey, what's on the menu for tonight?"

"Italian pasta," he answered with a smile.

_Oh, he has to know what that does to my insides…there's NO WAY he could be doing this accidentally_.  "As opposed to French pasta?" she answered with a coy smile of her own.

"As opposed to French anything.  I was never really good with French cooking…burned the bread the first time I made it come to think of it."  

Max laughed.  "Logan Cale? Not being able to cook something right?  We better check out the window to make sure pigs aren't flying."  

Logan smiled at her and raised his hand until it was just centimeters from her cheek.  "You have no idea how much I wish I could touch you right now…" he whispered.

"I think I do," she whispered back searching deep in his eyes.  "Someday…someday soon…"  Her voice trailed off, and he dropped his hand back at his side.  _No Max, you can't do this, not right now.  There are more important things.  But as she thought more about it, she realized that in all actuality, there wasn't.  The sound of the back screen door slamming broke into their moment.  _Who's that?_  Max wondered, looking questioningly at Logan.  He switched off the stove, and they both made their way to the back of the house, and looked through the screen.  Dali sat outside on the stoop, gazing up at the stars.  Apparently, the showers and clouds had given way to a clear dark blue sky, and brisk winds.  Logan withdrew to the kitchen, and Max gave a sigh of relief and stepped through the door to sit down next to the girl._

"You wanna talk about it?" she asked.

"What?" the girl said innocently.

"Well, let's just say you don't have to be a mind-reader to realize something has been going on with you.  What is it?"  Dali turned back toward the stars.

"I honestly don't know what you're talking about."

"Well at least come inside to the heat, it's too cold out here."  She helped her up and they both went inside and Dali sank back into the couch.  Max rejoined Logan in the kitchen.

"Everything Ok?" he asked.

"No, but she won't talk to me.  What's the matter with her?"

Logan smiled to himself.  "I can remember many a time when there was something wrong with another genetically engineered soldier I used to know, and she wouldn't talk about it either."

"Anybody I know?"

"Maybe," he answered.  "Just try to remember, without patience comes frustration.  My mother used to tell me that.  And nothing helps more than just lending an ear."  Max nodded slowly and smiled.

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."  She retreated to the living room and found Dali sitting on the long windowsill in the alcove.  She took a seat next to her, and watched her intently.  "Look, I'm sorry if I seemed nosy before.  It comes with the turf.  You know, saving the world and everything."  When Dali didn't crack a smile, or even acknowledge her, she began to rise._  Ok, can't say I didn't try._

"It's a long story.  After the escape, my brothers and sisters and I got separated."  The young girl's voice caught Max's attention, and she sat back down.  "Just like you guys."  She chanced a glance up at the older girl, and then turned her attention back towards the window.  _I do a lot of talking when I'm looking out the windows…Maybe I should try to find a new hobby._  But she continued.  "I ended up miles away from Manticore, hitching a ride on this bus.  I didn't know where it was going, but as long as it wasn't going back to Manticore, I didn't care.  About half an hour later, we turned down this kinda deserted road and passed a forest.  I hopped off there.  Remembering that we were taught that the best way to hide a trail from an enemy was to tread where other trails already led, I went through the woods, looking for what seemed like hours, hoping to come out on another side.  Finally, I came to this clearing, and there was this big house with a car in the driveway.  I had never seen a house before, but there was a man standing outside smoking a cigar.  I didn't want to approach him at first; as far as I was concerned, he was the enemy, but before I could turn and run, he saw me."  Dali saw the scene unfold as if it were happening in that moment…

_The man turned toward her.  "It's ok.  I won't hurt you."  Dali had simply stared at him, unable to move.  "My name's Mark, why don't you come inside, it's warmer there."  She hadn't taken her eyes off of him. "It's ok."  He reached for her, and it was then she came to her senses and began to back away. "Wait," he tried one last desperate attempt. "Are you hungry?"  Dali stopped in her tracks at that one._

Dali came back to the present.  "A soldier always marches on his stomach, or so we were taught.  So I went inside, and I met his wife."  Dali smiled as she reached the next memory.  "When she saw me, she got all concerned and wrapped me up in this fuzzy brown blanket and made me food…real food.  Not that government gruel that they served us at Manticore.  And they had a baby…a boy…his name was Dominic.  I called him Shorty."  Her eyes seemed to glisten.  "And I stayed there.  They became my family, and as much as I missed my brothers and sisters, I knew that if I wanted to stay alive, I might never see them again.  So I left that entire part of my life behind…I guess in a sense I got a chance to start over.  I thought I had found everything I'd ever need.  Until Justin showed up."  Another smile crept across her face as she relayed the memories of her past.  "He moved next door about a year after the pulse.  Well actually it was more like down the road.  Houses were too far apart to have any real neighbors.  Anyway, I remember, the first thing he said to me was 'I bet I can run faster than you.'  Boy was he surprised when I flew right by him.  From that moment on, he hated me.  That is, until I saved him from nearly drowning in the river.  Then we became best friends.  We were inseparable.  He taught me everything.  It was like I was seeing the real world for the very first time."  She turned to look at Max, who had been silent the whole time.  "You know, supposedly, we're built to be super smart and able to do calculate large numbers in our heads, and disable a bomb like most people brush their teeth.  But when you get outside Manticore, you find out that the truth is, we don't know anything.  We knew only what Manticore wanted us to know.  Nothing that was important; nothing about real life."  She turned back to the stars.  "Anyway, life was good.  I finally had a friend, a family, and Manticore and everything about it was like a bad dream.  Until about a year ago…"  The memory played again and again inside Dali's head, like a really bad horror movie.

_A family sat at the dinner table.  The mother and the father laughing at something together.  A young boy, about 10 years old, sat telling them a story.  Justin joined in their laughter as Dali sat back in her chair, and simply enjoyed the company around her._

"We were all having dinner together, and just enjoying ourselves, when I had this urge to look up and out the window.  There was a sniper, with a target that was aimed at Justin's chest."

_"Get down!" Dali yelled as she pushed her friend's chair over knocking him and the young boy next to him to the floor.  No sooner had they had hit the ground, when bullets came whizzing through the window, breaking glass, tearing through their dinner, and making random holes in the walls.  In all the chaos, Dali's parents were hit and killed.  The bullets stopped and there was silence.  Silence except for Dominic's cries.  Dali put her hand over the young boy's mouth and listened intently.  _"I know they're still alive and they're here somewhere, if I don't take them out, the Commandant will kill me when I get back to base."  _She heard the thoughts as clear as day.  She stood up just as he rounded the corner.  "Too bad for him, he won't get the chance," she declared.  Quick as lightening, she was in front of him, kicked the gun out of his hands, knocked him to his knees, and swiftly snapped his neck.  She went over to her friend and brother and stood the young boy up.  "Are you ok?" she asked slowly.  He didn't nod, but instead looked over at their dead parents bodies lying on the floor.  Dali stood and walked gradually over to them and sat on the floor at their sides.  Dominic came and sat in her lap, and Justin knelt beside them._

The memory ended with a jolt.  "And for the first time in my life," Dali continued, her eyes quite moist, "I cried.  I cried so hard I couldn't stop.  Afterwards, we tried going to Justin's house, but they had already taken his parents out.  So we took Dominic to stay with my Aunt Brenda and Uncle Jack over in Michigan.  I tried to get Justin to stay there, they didn't mind the company, but he wouldn't.  So I told him.  I told him everything."  She turned to Max.  "Have you ever had to tell your best friend that you aren't human?"  Max nodded slowly, not really knowing what else to say.  "Something about telling secrets," Dali continued, "it's supposed to be a relief.  It's supposed to make you feel better.  But you don't.  You just feel sad…sad, and…"

"Empty," Max finished her thought.  "Like the whole world's crashing down on you.  I know the feeling."

Dali turned back towards the window.  "So we ran.  We ran for months.  Eating what we could, sleeping where we could.  Once, we were lucky enough to stay in this motel.  I got up to go to the bathroom…I just took my eyes off of him for a second…just for a second…"  She broke off, unable to talk.

"They killed him didn't they?" Max asked, although she already knew the answer.  Dali just nodded her head.  "And you blame yourself?"

Dali looked over to her, a tear slowly making it's way down her cheek, followed by several others.  "Every day," she whispered, "…every…day."

"You can't blame yourself," Max tried to explain, "It wasn't your fault."  Dali's head snapped up.

"Have you ever lost someone to that place?  No, don't answer.  I can already see it on your face.  Then you know what I'm talking about.  You know how it feels.  That empty feeling that you have.  It's so dark, and so cold.  Most people don't understand.  They'll smile, and try to make you feel better.  They ask if you want to talk about it…and part of you wants to.  Part of you wants to talk, to scream, to cry, to do anything, to make that feeling go away.  But you can't.  It hurts to talk.  It hurts to eat.  It hurts to sleep.  It hurts to think.  So you do nothing.  People will tell you that they know what you're going through, but they don't.  Not really.  And they'll tell you that it gets better with time.  But it doesn't.  Not really.  That feeling…it's there all the time.  Sometimes when you wake up in the morning, you don't feel it.  And you think, maybe it's today.  Maybe it's today that I'll feel better, that I'll feel normal, that I can begin to move on with my life.  Then reality hits, and you realize it didn't go anywhere.  It's still there, strong as ever, making its presence known.  And you just feel…alone.  Alone, and selfish.  You feel selfish, because you wonder when is it going to stop?  When will it get better?  When is it going to go away?  Then you feel scared, because you know that it won't…ever…Especially because you walked into their lives bringing danger, they didn't walk into yours."  Unable to hold back the tears that she'd stopped earlier, she held her head in her hands.  She didn't even look up as she felt Max's arms envelope her.  Just knowing that she was there was comfort enough.  They sat there for several long moments, until Dali's breathing became rhythmic, and Max realized that she must have fallen asleep.  She called Logan to come help her, and together, they supported the young girl, and moved her to the couch.  She began to shiver, and Logan brought a blanket down and covered her with it.  Then he looked at Max.

"Should I even ask?"

"It's a long story," she answered.

"He motioned for her to follow him to the kitchen.  "Then we've got a long night ahead of us…"

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As always, thanks everyone for the reviews.  Chapter 5 coming soon.

---Hey everyone, I just wanted to thank you all again for the reviews!! If anyone read the first version of this chapter I put up, you probably noticed several typos, yeah, it was definitely like 2 am when I was writing it, and I didn't even notice, I just wanted to get it up as soon as possible, so I didn't bother to read and reread.  Anyway, that's all taken care of, and you have my word that Chapter 5 will be up by next Wednesday.  Happy Holidays everyone!

Angie731


	6. Chapter 5: Batteries Not Included

Disclaimer: If, in a perfect world, I owned Dark Angel, I would be writing episodes for cash, not fanfic for fun…So no, if you're still wondering, I don't own Dark Angel, but I do own Justin, Dalianna, her family and all her X-siblings, but I'm more than willing to share.  If you'd like to use them, please just ask.  Thank you.

Timeframe: After "Freak Nation", end of Season 2

A/N: Can't thank you guys enough for the great reviews!  There isn't much action here, but you kind of get a feeling of the type of things that Dali's capable of, and that'll make the action in the chapters to come that much better! Ok, so without further ado, chapter 5…

Chapter 5

Batteries Not Included

Max slowly lowered her glass of wine, as she noticed a picture hanging on the wall that she could have sworn hadn't been there before.  It showed a young woman with shoulder length blonde hair and a bright smile, holding a young boy with the same color hair and an even brighter smile.  He was wearing a birthday hat, and had chocolate all over his face.  Max deduced that the boy in the picture must have been Logan, and though she had never seen a picture of her, the stunning resemblance of the young woman to the young boy confirmed that she was his mother.  _I wonder why __Logan__ never talks about his parents…If I had parents that looked half as happy as she does, I would talk about them all the time.  Logan had left to put the dishes in the sink, and chose that moment to return._

"So…," he began, "she lost her whole family just like that huh?"

Max nodded absent-mindedly.  "Yeah, her parents were killed, and her little brother lives with some family over in Michigan."

"How come she didn't stay with the family?"

"What, and put them in danger too?  Nah, couldn't risk it."

"You talk like you're speaking from experience."

"Well, Renfro helped bring to my attention that us transgenics are magnets for trouble, and when we get involved with other people, they tend to get hurt.  Not that I hadn't already figured that out…"  _ I almost got both you and Cindy killed…as if I could forget.  Not to mention the whole virus thing…  But that was too painful to think about.  She turned back to the picture.  "Logan, who's the woman in the picture?"_

He turned to look at it, and for a second, Max could see pain and hurt flash in his eyes.  "That was my mother."  He stalled for a second, it seemed as though he were fighting an inner battle as to whether or not he should continue the conversation.  "We took that picture right after my fourth birthday party."

_He's so cute._  "You look happy."

"Oh we were.  We were very happy." He trailed off.  "But apparently, pain ensues happiness," he added bitterly.  Max knew better than to go down that road.

"Hey, you mind if I crash here tonight?  I think Dali might be a little upset if she wakes up to find I kind of left her here."

He actually smiled a little.  "Sure.  Guest room's in the back."

Max rose from the table.  "Night then."

"Night," he answered distractedly.  Max retired to the back room and closed the door behind her.  She laid down on the bed, and from there, she had a perfect view of the clouds passing the moon.  She wasn't really tired, but after awhile, the monotony of the ticking from the clock on the wall lulled her into a restless sleep.

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Logan poured himself another glass of wine and took a sip.  _Why, oh why does everything have to be so difficult?_  Seconds passed, and then minutes, before he moved from his spot.  He walked to the back room and knocked softly on the closed door.  _Logan__ what are you doing? he thought to himself.  No answer came from the inside, and his mind told him to just turn around and go to bed.  Yet his heart told him to go ahead and walk right in.  So he slowly turned the handle until he heard it click, and pushed the door open enough to slide through._

"Max," he whispered, "You awake?"  The figure on the bed didn't move or speak.

**********************************************************************

Max had awoken to the knock on the door.  It was only a soft knock, but she had never really considered herself a heavy sleeper.  Still, she didn't answer.  Whoever it was would just go away, and she would be left alone.  But they didn't leave.  In fact, the door opened, and they waltzed right in.

"Max," came a voice, "you awake?"

_Logan__! her mind screamed.  _What in the world are you doing in here?_  Her soldier instincts told her that there was something wrong, and he needed her help, but her woman instincts told her that nothing was wrong, and he was there because…well, she hadn't figured that out yet.  So she didn't move, and instead let him believe that she was asleep._

He crept closer and sat on the edge of the bed.

*****************************************************************

Dali awoke from her sleep with a start.  It took her a minute to remember where she was and what had happened.  She groaned inwardly for letting herself become so vulnerable and falling apart.  She could just hear her brother Randy's voice in her head now: "A soldier does not show feelings.  Feelings are millstones in the river to success.  The less millstones there are, the greater our chances at success.  If I ever see any soldier in this unit showing weakness, he or she will be on latrine duty for a month!"  She smiled at the memory of her commanding officer.  Underneath that armed coat that had portrayed him as the model soldier, there was actually a living, breathing human.  He had shown her so on more than one occasion.  She had shown feelings to him before, and never once could she remember being put on latrine duty for it.  Sometimes, he was worse than their drill sergeants, but she knew it was only because he loved them and didn't want anything to happen to them, even though he never actually said it.

She rose and headed toward the kitchen to get something to drink, when she felt it.  The tiny ping of pain that had so infamously associated itself with the meaning that someone else's thoughts were about to intrude her own.  Then she heard them.  "_God she's beautiful…If I could just touch her, just one more time…it would be worth it…"  Who the heck is that? she wondered confused.  She wandered towards the closed door down the hall.  __It's _Logan___! she gasped inwardly.  _But who's he talking to?_  She put her ear to the door, but there were no sounds coming from inside.  She strained her hearing, and heard not one, but two heartbeats, both, despite the steady breathing, racing at a highly accelerated rate.  __Must be Max…but what's he talking about?  Why can't he touch her?  Thinking back on all the times that she had seen them together, and there were a lot, Dali realized that she had never actually seen them touch.  It was clear from the way that they looked at each other that they were more than just friends, yet they never hugged or kissed, or even held hands.  She had figured maybe they just saved that sappy stuff for private, which was more than fine with her, but apparently, they didn't do it in private either._

She closed her eyes and concentrated her thoughts just on Logan.  His face…his smile…his eyes…The wave of memories hit her like a ton of bricks.  She saw Max breaking into his apartment in a black catsuit; Max and Logan standing in front of a mirror; the shooting; Max and Logan playing chess; the kiss outside a cabin; dancing in a dream; Logan sitting in a wheelchair, looking down at a gun; Logan snapping his legs into some weird, metal thing; the two sharing a kiss; Max dead in Logan's arms; Max back from the dead with Logan in her arms, but this time, he didn't look so happy; a girl with blonde hair checking his vitals; them standing together in an apartment overlooking Seattle, holding hands; sitting in the back of a Cadillac; and finally standing together looking out at the flag that Dali had seen flying over Terminal City several hundred times.  Dali's eyes flew open, and her hand rose to the side of her head.  She applied pressure at her temples hoping to stop the splitting pain.  _Bad idea…REALLY bad idea.  She closed her eyes again, and took a few deep breaths, the extreme throbbing settled to a dull pain.  But before she could open her eyes again, another wave of memories hit her.  __Oh no, not again.  These were slightly different.  Again she saw Max breaking into Logan's apartment; then standing over him at the hospital; playing chess again; then the kiss outside the cabin.  __These must be Max's memories.  She saw Max giving blood to Logan; and the same dancing dream; standing outside looking out at the ocean; killing…Alec?  _Ok, I knew the guy got on her nerves, but that's kind of drastic…not to mention impossible.  He's still here…_  She saw Max sitting on the space needle; Logan standing in front of her; Max fighting…herself?  Logan and Max in bed.  _Ok, whoa, where did _that _come from?!_  The memories kept coming…Max back at Manticore; doing drills; going under psy-ops; holding Logan; Alec standing in front of her with a grim smile on his face; a strange man wheeling Zack away…__Hey, that's Zack…once again, standing in that apartment; sitting in the back of the Cadillac; then looking at the flag.  The memories stopped coming, and Dali prayed that that was the last of them.  It felt like someone had gone sledgehammer-happy on her cranium.  She opened her eyes and her vision blurred; she stumbled a few feet to a nearby table and held onto it for balance.  A wave of nausea 20 feet high hit her, and her knees, which had already become wobbly, gave out.  She, the table, and a vase that had previously been on the table all came crashing to the floor._

Logan came running out of the room.  The first thing he saw was Dali lying on the floor.  "Dali! Dali!" he called, "What happened?"  He looked around for any other signs that something had gone wrong, but everything was as he had left it.  Max appeared at the doorway to the bedroom wide-eyed and clearly awake.

"What happened?" she asked.

"I don't know.  Something's wrong with her."  He helped Dali to a sitting position, and she opened her eyes.

"Aspirin…," she managed.  "My head…"

"Max, stay with her."  Max sat down at the girl's side.  Logan took off towards the bathroom.

"Dali, what happened?" Max asked her, but the girl didn't answer, she just clenched her eyes shut and held her head in her hands.  Logan was back a few seconds later with a bottle of pills.  He poured out a few and gave them to Dali, who hastily swallowed them.

A few minutes later, she opened her eyes and looked at the two people before her.  "Sorry about that, sometimes--" Before she could finish her thought, her hands flew to her ears.  "What the hell is that?" she breathed.  "It's so loud! Make it stop!"

"What? What?" Max and Logan searched around in alarm.

"I don't hear anything," Max said.

"Me neither," Logan agreed, "Dali you have to tell us what it is that you hear."

"I don't know," she moaned, "a whistle or something.  Tell whoever it is to turn it off!"

Max took off out the door, and Logan stayed with the young girl.  Max wasn't exactly sure what she was looking for, but whatever it was, she needed to stop it.  She ran down the road and came to a crossing.  "_To the left," a voice screamed in her head.  She turned left and kept running.  _Where to now?_ She thought to herself, the voice directed her again.  "_Just keep going, you're getting closer_."  __Dali is that you? Max wondered, but there was no answer.  She came to a house with a young boy standing outside.  __"There!  Tell whoever that is to knock it off!"  Max looked closer and could see that the boy had a whistle in his mouth…a dog whistle._

"Hey kid," she said.  The boy looked at her, but didn't take the whistle out of his mouth.  "You gotta stop blowing that whistle."  He shook his head and kept blowing.  "_Max, hurry!"  "Please?" she pleaded.  She reached in her pocket.  "I'll give you $10."  The boy seemed to be thinking it over.  Then he nodded and took the whistle out of his mouth.  He reached over the fence and took the money from her hand._

"Thanks lady, here comes my dog anyway."  Max turned, and saw a golden retriever heading over to the boy.  They both went into the house, and Max gave a sigh of relief.  She turned and headed back toward Logan's place.

When she got there, she found Logan sitting with Dali on the couch.  Logan looked up at her as she came in the door.

"What was it?"

"Some kid blowing a dog whistle…two miles down the road!"  They both looked incredulously over at the young girl on the couch.

She just gave Max a little smile.  "Thank you," she breathed, and promptly passed out.

**************************************************************

Yeah, ok, so the title makes no sense, but how much sense did it make for the writers to name the season 1 finale "And Jesus Brought A Casserole"?  I mean, I'm sure there's an underlying reason there somewhere; and if I thought hard enough, I know I could find an equally meaningful reason for why this chapter is named "Batteries Not Included"…of course, only a cruel and harsh person would ask me to. J  Chapter 6 coming in no more than a week!


	7. Chapter 6: Utterly Delusional

Disclaimer: If, in a perfect world, I owned Dark Angel, I would be writing episodes for cash, not fanfic for fun…So no, if you're still wondering, I don't own Dark Angel, but I do own Justin, Dalianna, her family and all her X-siblings, but I'm more than willing to share.  If you'd like to use them, please just ask.  Thank you.

Timeframe: After "Freak Nation", end of Season 2

A/N: Hey guys, here's chapter 6; the name's a little more appropriate this week; so enjoy!

Chapter 6

Utterly Delusional

White sat at a desk watching the phone.  He finally took his eyes off of it after a few moments, and reached inside his inner pocket.  He pulled out a sheet of paper and read it for the tenth time that day.  Suddenly the phone rang.  He pressed the speakerphone.

"For my father before me, for my sons," he answered.

"For my mother before me, for my daughters," came a female voice.

"I've been awaiting your call."

"I've just sent someone over with the new information."

"Excellent," White replied.  "I'll send my response."

"Thank you sir," the woman responded.

"Fe'nos tol."

"Fe'nos tol."

No sooner had he pressed the off button on the receiver, then there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," he said.  The door opened, and a man in a white lab coat entered.

"Here it is sir, a picture of the barcode."  He held out a picture for White, who took it with enthusiasm.

"Perfect.  And this is the designation at the bottom?"

"Yes, sir," the man responded. "It took our scientists awhile, but we finally deciphered it exactly."

"Funny…" White said abstractedly.

"What's that sir?"

"Is there anything different about this barcode?" he asked slowly.

"As a matter of the fact, we suspected that there might be.  Being as how the expressions of all of the animal traits of this particular transgenic were masked, we expected that the expression of the barcode would be mutated also."

"But not masked?" White asked with interest.

"No sir.  The barcode is built into the genome as a specific expression.  The only way it could be masked would be if it were tampered with by hand."

"I see.  And did you find any changes in the expression of the barcode."

"No sir.  We examined it extensively, and could find nothing strange about it."

"Competency is such a difficult trait to find these days," he muttered.  Then in a louder voice, "You know, sometimes the hardest objects to see are those that are staring us straight in the face."

"I beg your pardon sir?"

"Manticore barcodes are only supposed to have twelve digits."

"Pardon my bluntness sir, but what does that have to do with this?"

White raised an eyebrow.  "This one has 13."

************************************************************************

Max paced back and forth in front of the bed slowly, every once in a while, stealing glances at the unconscious young girl lying in it.  She had been in and out of it for going on four days now, and the situation seemed bleaker and bleaker with each passing hour. _Come on Dali, wake up…please…_Her mind pleaded with her, to no avail.

"Max," came a voice.

"Dali?" she turned toward her.  The girl looked up at her, as she began to shiver.

"I-it's c-c-cold in here.  Can y-you t-turn on the h-heat?"

"Dali, you can't be serious.  It's 84°, it's boiling in here!"  She walked over to the bed.

"P-p-please turn the heat on.  T-t-that ice w-water is so cold!  Ask Justin, he'll t-tell y-you."  Dali's teeth were chattering.

"What ice water?  What are you talking about?"

"She's delusional." Logan walked in with a thermometer in hand.  He placed it in Dali's mouth.  "She probably thinks she's either still on the run with Justin…or saving you…probably a mixture of the two."

Max turned back to the sick girl.  "What's wrong with her?"

"We haven't figured that out yet.  It can't be any type of human illness, transgenics are immune.  But it's not contagious either.  The bloodwork that we've done proved that.  It's not anything that we've ever seen before."  The thermometer beeped and Max pulled it out and looked at it.  A confused look crossed her face for a second, and then she placed the back of her hand on Dali's forehead.  A few seconds later, she snatched it back.

"Oh my god, she's burning up!  Quick, get some ice bags or something!"

"What?  What did the thermometer say?"

"It says 106.4!  That's dangerously high, even for a transgenic.  She could die."  Logan immediately left the room in search of something to help bring the fever down.

"Max," Dali whispered.  "It's really hot in here…turn the heat down."  Max simply looked at her sympathetically.  Dali held her hand up in front of her face.  Ever so slightly, it began to shake.  "Oh no…please no…not here…not now…"  Apparently her body was on its own schedule.  The quivers in her hand intensified, crept up her arm, and spread through her torso and to her extremities until it seemed as though every muscle in her entire body was shaking uncontrollably.

"Oh, crap. Logan, she's seizing!  Bring tryptophan!"  Max called to him in the other room.  He burst in a few seconds later, holding a bag of ice, and a cup of milk.  He took a few pieces of ice from the bag, placed them in a towel and rolled it up.

"Here, put this on her head, most of the body heat is lost through the head, if we can draw the heat out with the ice, maybe we can get her temperature to lower."

Max held the cool towel against the girl's shaking forehead.  "What about the tryptophan?"

"We were running low earlier…now we're out.  This was the best I could do," he replied, producing the cup of milk.  Max took it from him, and held it to Dali's lips.

"Come on, Dali, take a sip."  Dali's eyes opened a little, but she wouldn't drink from the cup, and her body continued to seize.  "Take a drink," Max coaxed, "you're not gonna get better if you don't."  Dali turned her head away.

"I'll help," Logan offered.

"What are you gonna do?" Max wondered aloud.

"Pinch her.  When she opens her mouth, pour it in."

"You're going to pinch her?!" Max asked incredulously.

"Yeah, it's just a little technique I picked up back when my sister and I would get into fights." When he saw that she didn't smile, "Max, if she doesn't take this, she could die.  She's very sick, and right now, the seizures are the only thing that we know how to control.  Now, I'm going to count to three, and when her mouth opens, just pour it in.  Got it?"  Max sighed and nodded uncertainly.  "Ok, one… two… thr—" He was cut off before he could finish by the door swinging open.

"Don't!" said a strong male voice, and the glass was snatched from Max's hand.

"What do you think you're doing?" she seethed, looking up at a boy about Dali's age, with chocolate brown eyes and golden hair.

"You can't give this to her, if you do, then she'll _really be sick…she's lactose intolerant."  Now that the immediate threat was over, he handed the glass back to Max._

Max and Logan looked at each other.

"You know her?" Logan asked surprised.  The boy didn't answer, but instead went to the other side of the bed and sat down, taking Dali's hand in his.

"Lacey, Lacey, it's ok.  Wake up."  It seemed as though her seizures stopped almost immediately.

"Lacey?" Max mouthed to Logan, who shrugged his shoulders in response.

Dali's eyes opened slowly.  "Randy?" she whispered.

"On your feet soldier," he said with a smile, and stood.  Dali slowly threw the covers off and stood next to the bed.

"Dali, I really don't think you should—"  Logan began, and for the second time in five minutes was cut off by Randy, this time with a wave of his hand.

"Soldier, state your designation," he ordered.

"X—X—X6-927," she managed.

"What's your status?"

"Sir…," she breathed. "Permission to—" she never got to finish, as the irrepressible twitching in her nerves began again, darkness surrounded her, and the ground rushed up to her.

***********************************************************************

Max, Logan and Randy all left the room, closing the door softly behind them.  Max fixed her eyes on Randy.

"So how do you know Dali?" she asked.

"_Lacey_," he insisted, "was in my unit.  I was the CO, and she was one of my best soldiers.  I've kept an eye on her over the years, but I lost touch about a year back.  Heard she was sick, and came to see about her."

_Just like Zach…_Max thought to herself.

"Yeah, you keep calling her that," Logan interrupted, "we thought her name was Dali…"

"She must have changed it after the escape.  Lacey was the name that Dorin gave her."  He smiled at the memory.  "Said everything that she said was 'laced with sarcasm'." His face turned stony again.  "Anyway, here." He produced a vial of clear liquid.  "Here's some more liquid tryptophan.  It's a pretty strong dosage, our unit always did need the strongest Manticore had to offer.  Lacey's seizures were always the worst.  She would be fine for a long time, and then all of a sudden, she would just get real sick, and her tremors wouldn't stop for days without the meds.  Docs said the level of serotonin in her brain would break down and kick in, then she wouldn't sleep for days; she would be bouncing off the walls…but soon after, the level would rise again, dangerously high, and that's when she would get sick." He shook his head.  "Gave us a real scare sometimes…but I think she'll be okay now.  The dosage I gave her was even more concentrated than this is.  But if they do start back up, give her this. NOT MILK."  He handed the vial to Max.  "Listen, when she wakes up…she might not remember I was here.  If she doesn't…do me a favor, don't tell her.  She really doesn't need anymore stress than she's already had.  If she does remember, tell her it was just a delusion, and you don't know who I am.  Take care of her…please.  She had the biggest heart of any of us, and she never let Manticore drive it out of her."  With that, he turned and left.  Neither Max, nor Logan, made a move to stop him.  They merely watched as he disappeared down the hall and out the window.

"You think he's for real?" Max asked Logan, never taking her eyes off the window.

"Well, he had the barcode…but I do still wonder.  I mean, whoever heard of a transgenic that's lactose intolerant?"

*********************************************************************

Max stood pacing again, this time in the dark.  She stopped and gazed at the girl in the bed.  Logan was also there, sitting in the chair next to her.  There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Max whispered, just loud enough for them to hear, and the door opened.

"Sup Boo?" Original Cindy greeted her.  "I just brought you some warm milk, thought it might help you sleep.  How's she doin?"  Max just gave her a little smile.

"Well, Randy gave us some tryptophan for her, so her seizures have stopped, and her temperature's returning to normal, but she's not awake yet."

"You worried about her?"

"I know I shouldn't be," she began, "but…I don't know…for some reason, I feel like this is partly my fault.  Like something I did triggered it."

"Now, Max, you know that's not true."

"Hey, you don't know that."

"Neither do you, stop beatin yourself up.  You said yourself she's doing better.  She's from Manticore, and if she survived that, I pretty much have faith that she can survive anything."  Max nodded, but didn't say anything.  Cindy went over to Logan, and leaned over to speak in his ear.

"Keep an eye on her," she whispered.

"Which one?" he whispered back.

"Both of them."

"You got it."  Cindy left then, and a few minutes later, Logan announced that he was going to bed.  "You should try to get some sleep Max." he insisted.  "Dali's going to be fine; you're the one I'm worried about."

"I don't sleep, Logan.  You know that," she replied simply but clearly.

"Well, you should try to get some rest," he walked over to her, kissed his gloved fingertips, and pressed them to her lips.  "Good night," he whispered.

"Night," she answered, and watched him leave before continuing to pace again.  Another hour passed.

"You're gonna wear a trench in the floor," came a low voice.

"You're awake!" Max said surprised turning toward her.

"Have you been here all night?" Dali asked equally surprised.

"No," Max said quickly.

"Uh huh," Dali answered in a voice that clearly said she didn't believe her friend.  

"How you feelin?"

"Like I've just been run over by a 36 wheeler cruising down I-94 at break-neck speed…twice."

Max smiled as she sat next to her.  "I know what you mean, but I guess that's to be expected huh?"

"How long have I been out of it?"

"A couple days," Max replied coolly.  "…maybe a week…week and a half…"

"A week and a half?! What'd I miss?"

"Not much…you know, the usual."

"Right."

"So um, I meant to tell you, your hearing is pretty good if you can hear a dog whistle from two miles away.  Better than mine, that's for sure."

Dali smiled a little.  "Yeah, your senses tend to be heightened when you have a migraine.  Every little sound can be heard; every little light can be seen."

"Does it happen often?"

"Not really.  Usually only after extended periods of intense physical and/or emotional stress," she replied rolling her eyes.  "Still, it's a fairly painful experience."

"So I've heard.  Well, I guess I'll leave you to get some rest."

"No way," Dali interjected, pulling herself to a sitting position.  "I've been asleep for 10 days, and I know you're not tired.  Besides, I had this weird dream that my brother was here…"  Max's head snapped toward her.  "But that's ridiculous.  Right?  I mean, he wasn't here…was he?"

Post-note: Ok, end of Chapter 6.  Chapter 7 within a week!  Thanks for reading J and Happy Holidays everyone!


	8. Chapter 7: The Quiet After the Storm

Disclaimer: If, in a perfect world, I owned Dark Angel, I would be writing episodes for cash, not fanfic for fun…So no, if you're still wondering, I don't own Dark Angel, but I do own Justin, Dalianna, her family and all her X-siblings, but I'm more than willing to share.  If you'd like to use them, please just ask.  Thank you.

Timeframe: After "Freak Nation", end of Season 2

A/N: Ok, it starts off kind of slow, but the ending will lead to better chapters! So be prepared!

Chapter 7

The Quiet After the Storm

_The moment of truth…_Max thought to herself.  _Do I lie, or tell her the truth?_  She took a good long look at Dali before answering.

"No," she finally responded before taking a seat on the edge of the bed.  "He didn't."

Disappointment was written all over Dali's face for a few seconds, and then was gone as quickly as it showed up.

"So, you wanna tell me why Logan thinks he can't touch you?" Dali asked, while simultaneously, Max asked, "Tell me about your brother.  What was he like?"  Dali looked at Max confused for a moment.

"What made you ask that?" they both asked at once.

Dali smiled.  "I guess I'll go first.  My brother…" she trailed off.  "My brother Randy, was the commanding officer of our unit.  He didn't really get along with Zach too well when he showed up.  I guess they were too much alike.  He was older than me, but not by much, maybe a couple of months.  I think he liked me the best."

"What makes you say that?" Max asked.

"Oh, just the way he treated me.  Like I was his favorite.  It got on everybody else's nerves, but I never had a problem with it."

"You guys were close huh?"

"Yeah, we were pretty tight."

"Tighter than you and Justin?"

_Justin…_Dali thought, as she was reminded of her own memories of the two of them together.  "No, Justin and I were about as tight as we could get.  Randy was my brother, and I cared—care about him very much.  Once, after we completed this mission…"

_Dali flashed back to the memory.  There were seven or eight children standing in line, with Lydecker pacing in front of them._

_"First, I want to congratulate you on completing your mission."_

_"Thank you sir!" came the surrounding response._

_"Then, I want to scold you for doing it so sloppily!" There was no response now.  "You!" he spat as he approached Randy's younger version.  "You're supposed to be in charge.  What happened out there?"_

_"I'm not sure sir.  One minute X6-263 was marching with us, and the next, she disappeared."_

_"A likely story I'm sure," Lydecker replied with sarcasm dripping in his voice.  "See, something that I think that this unit has yet to understand is that losing a part of your unit is like losing a part of your body.  You need all of the parts of your body to function, you need all of the members of your unit to function.  Are you all drawing my parallel?"_

_"Sir yes sir!" was the response._

_"Good." He approached one of the armed soldiers at the door to the room, and took  a large hammer from them.  "Now, I know that sometimes, a lesson has yet to be learned until an individual experiences it themselves.  And since you've lost a member of your unit, I think it only fair that you should lose a part of your body.  X6-812!"_

_"Yes sir!" Randy answered._

_"Step forward and place your hand on the table." Randy stepped forward, but did not place his hand on the table.  Suddenly, Dali stepped forward._

_"Permission to speak sir!"___

_"Permission denied!  Get back in line soldier!" he ordered.  "812, place your hand on the table now, or the entire unit will suffer the consequences!"_

_"Sir, X6-927 would like to receive all punishment given as reparation for X6-812's errors."  Lydecker looked up at her with growing interest._

_"Is that a fact?  And why, may I ask, is that?"_

_"Sir," she started without giving herself a chance to rethink what she was doing.  "812 is a valuable asset to this unit.  Without him, we would not have been able to complete the mission.  Having him disabled is a disadvantage to the entire team._"

_"Indeed," Lydecker agreed.  He paused for a few seconds, seemingly thinking over the proposal in his mind.  "812!"_

_"Yes sir!" Randy responded._

_"Back in line."__  Randy looked over at Dali, then stepped back in line.  "927…step forward…and place your hand on the table."  Dali stepped forward to the table, and slowly placed a shaking hand on it.  Lydecker raised the hammer and took hold of her wrist.  "Remember soldier, pain is relative…"  He brought down the hammer on the young girl's hand, and the ring from the metal of the hammer reverberated through the hallways._

The flashback came to a screeching halt.

"He broke your hand?" Max asked incredulously.

Dali held her hand up in front of her face, and flexed the fingers, as if checking to see if they still worked.  "All 26 bones…" she admitted.  "You know, I can say with complete and total honesty, that there is no one I hate more in this world than Colonel Donald Michael Lydecker, and if I never see him again, it will be millennia too soon."

_Wow,_ Max thought raising her eyebrows, _and I thought my abhorrence for this guy was strong, she hates him with a flaring passion…and with good reason._

"Anyway, so yeah, I gave my hand for Randy…but for Justin, I would have given my life."  _I miss him so much… "So tell me what's going on with Logan," she said with a quick subject change.  Max was taken aback by the question.  She appeared to have forgotten that Dali had asked her the same only a few minutes ago._

"What about him?"

"Why does he think he can't touch you?"

Max took a deep breath.  "Well, since we're already knee-deep in painful issues…Logan is—"

"Eyes Only, yeah I know."

"Well, that's not what I was gonna say, but yeah, he is.  He's been doing cable hacks ever since as far back as I can remember.  He promised to help me take down Manticore…and we did, but something went wrong.  I was killed, shot by my own X7 clone." She waited before continuing.  "My brother gave his heart so I could live, but Manticore had already found out who Logan was.  So they put this virus in me, and now even the slightest touch could kill him."

"A genetically targeted retrovirus…ingenious…" she responded, and then upon seeing the look on Max's face, "I mean, not ingenious that they did it to you…just…oh, nevermind.  So now you guys can't touch?"

Max sighed.  "Suddenly, I don't even feel comfortable standing in the same room as him.  We've already had too many close calls.  How lucky can we get?  You know, I'm just afraid that next time, we might not be able to get an out, and I don't think I could live with that on my conscience.  So I want to run, to just get away, and never come back.  But then I look at him, and I remember everything that we've been through.  And I see mirrored in his crystal blue eyes, the same hurt, the same concern, the same uncertainty.  But also, hope.  Hope that one day, we'll find a cure.  I just want things to go back to the way they used to be."  Dali watched Max for a long time without saying anything before Max realized it.  "What?" she asked.  Dali just gave her a bittersweet smile.

"Ah mi, c'est le amour…"

"You speak French?"

"Don't change the subject.  You're in love with him, aren't you?"

"What? No!" Dali just looked at her.  "Well, maybe…I don't know.  Sometimes, I think I'm pretty sure that I am, but then…"

"There's another guy." Dali interrupted her.  "…Alec?!" she asked incredulously.

"I know what you're thinking.  I thought the exact same thing when we first met, but just when I think he can't get any more irresponsible, annoying, or obnoxious, he…I don't know, he shows a side of him I've never seen before."

"Right, and that's clouding your judgment.  Look Max, at Manticore, we were taught that the brain is the most important organ in the body, and when all else fails, it's what we rely on, but I think it's in times like these, that the heart is even more important.  Think with your heart, not your head.  You have to choose."

"I know.  And will you stop looking at me like that, you're freaking me out."

"Looking at you like what?" Dali asked innocently.

"Like you already know the answer.  How can you know, if I don't even know?"

"Max, I hate to break it to you, but everybody knows how you really feel about Logan.  Everybody that is, except you…and Logan."

"Am I that clear?"

"Glass crystal," Dali responded quickly.

"But how do you know when you're in love?"

Dali smiled.  "It's not something you can explain.  It's a feeling.  It means that he's the only thing you want for Christmas.  It means that you would get up at 3 am and drive over to his place to comfort him after he's had a bad dream.  Being in love means not even wanting to go to sleep, because real life is better than any dream you could ever have.  It's having his face be the last thing you see before you close your eyes at night, and the first thing you see when you open them in the morning.  When you see him, your stomach drops, your head goes spinning and your heart skips a beat.  And every touch drives you crazy."

It was Max's turn to smile.

"Now who's in love?"

Dali looked at her skeptically.  "What, with Randy?  No way.  I told you, he's my brother, and I love him, but I'm not _in love with him."_

"Not Randy silly.  Justin."

Dali didn't know how to answer her.  "_I'll always be with you…"_ Justin's voice echoed throughout her mind.  _He always used to sing the same song to me… "Keep smilin, keep shinin, knowin you can always count on me, for sure, that's what friends are for…"_  _That old-school pre-pulse Stevie Wonder song.__  Well, now's as good a time as any to be truthful.  "You know, I think I was."_

Max smiled again, this time to herself.  "Sometimes I just really wish I could—"

"Yeah, me too," Dali interrupted her.

"And then we could—"

"Just one more time."

"And finally—"

"Oh yeah, I miss that."  They laughed together, but their laughter was broken, by the opening of the door.  Logan came in carrying a sheet of paper.

"Morning ladies."

"Good morning," Max replied.

"Is it morning already?" Dali asked.

"Yeah," he seemed to be wanting to say something more, but not sure if he should say it.  "So how're you feeling?" he asked Dali

"Much better than I was.  Thanks for asking."

"What's wrong?" Max wondered.

Logan sighed before answering.  "White's been showing a picture of a barcode around town, asking if anybody recognizes it."

"White?" Dali asked, "as in Ames White?"

"Yeah, that's him," Max told her before turning back to Logan.  "But it shouldn't matter right?  I mean, to humans, all the barcodes look the same."

"Well that's just the thing," Logan said.  "He knows where to look for transgenics, and he's asking them specifically, promising them freedom as opposed to captivity if they help find whoever the barcode belongs to.  In fact, the only reason I found out, is because he happened to ask for Alec's help.  So whoever it is, it must be incredibly important if he's passing up the opportunity to capture other transgenics.  I was thinking maybe we could find out who it is, you know, give them a heads up."  Max and Dali listened intently.  Logan held the sheet out to them.  "Either of you recognize it?"

Max shook her head.  "It looks familiar, like maybe I've seen it before, but I've seen hundreds of barcodes, it could be anyone.  Dali, you recognize it?"

Dali stared fixedly at the paper before nodding slowly.

"Yeah, I know who it is."

"Well, who is it?" Logan asked pressedly.

She looked up at them.  "It's me."

Post-note: Thanks everyone for the great reviews.  Chapter 8 coming next week!  Happy New Year!!!!

Angie731


	9. Chapter 8: True Confessions

Disclaimer: If, in a perfect world, I owned Dark Angel, I would be writing episodes for cash, not fanfic for fun…So no, if you're still wondering, I don't own Dark Angel, but I do own Justin, Dalianna, her family and all her X-siblings, but I'm more than willing to share.  If you'd like to use them, please just ask.  Thank you.

Timeframe: After "Freak Nation", end of Season 2

A/N: Just a filler chapter, with a crucial event happening here or there, more exciting revelations to come!

Chapter 8

True Confessions

Max and Logan watched her completely dumbfounded into silence.  Finally, Logan spoke.

"That's your barcode?"

"Down to the very last line."

"Are you sure?"

Dali just looked at him.  "If you saw a virtual simulation of your digital self, right now, as you are, would **you** recognize yourself?"

"I'm not sure I follow you."

"At Manticore we were taught that your barcode was your identity.  It was like your name, your photo.  It was your life."

Max broke in.  "Ok, I think the question we should be asking is what does White want with you?"

"Honestly, I don't have a clue.  The only reason I even know who he is, is because my Mom mentioned him a couple times, she always told me that if I ever saw or met him, run in the opposite direction…I wonder…"

"So you don't know what he wants…you can't think of anything?"

"I can't.  He had me before, and he never said anything.  He just wanted me to tell him where _you_ were," Dali responded, at which Max rolled her eyes.  "But I don't know why he wants me…I mean it's not like I'm the Chosen One or anything.  Hey wait a minute," she began to ask Max, the realization hitting her, "…you wouldn't by any chance be…" she broke off, then continued without waiting for a reply.  "Of course…"

"Can we just focus on the task at hand please?" Logan inquired.  "We all know why White wants Max, but what could he want with you Dali?"

"I mean what, am I speaking a foreign language?" she insisted, her voice filled with sarcasm, before taking a more serious tone.   "I already told you.  I don't know."

"Ok," Logan responded.  "Well until we can figure out what's going on, I want you and Max both to go back to Terminal City, and stay there."

"You're joking right?" Dali asked.  "This guy is showing my most personal birthmark to every whacko in the city, probably looking to kill me, and you want me to go and sit on my hands?" Logan didn't say anything.  "I'm sorry, but that's not how we were raised."

"Max?" he insisted.

"Sorry Logan, I've gotta go with her on this.  It's not like any transgenic to just sit by and wait to get caught.  And I know **you know that."**

"And I know **you** know how dangerous White is," he quickly countered.  Dali knew where this was going, she crept out of the bed and stood next to the door.  _Hold it, she thought looking down at the long t-shirt and shorts she was wearing, __are these __Logan__'s clothes???  Ok, this is weird… Her thoughts were cut short by Max and Logan's bantering, and she watched as they went back and forth like a never-ending tennis match.  "You can't keep going out there risking your neck for—"_

"For what?" she cut him off. "For my family?  Yes I can, I have to.  It's my responsibility."

"Fine.  I'm going with you."

"No, you're not."

"So what, you're just going to go out looking for him on your own, risk getting caught…again?"

"No, I'll have help.  But I want you to stay here."

"And I want **you** to stop treating me like a baby.  Am I that much of a liability?  Do you really think I can't handle myself?"

"I just don't want you getting hurt!"

"I can take care of myself!  Why are you being so overprotective?"

"Because I love you!" she blurted without thinking.  _Damn it, damn it, damn it._ She thought, and closed her eyes.  "Dali, get your things, we're leaving."

Dali looked over and saw her clothes on a nearby chair, she grabbed them, walked over to Logan, and snatched the paper from his hand, while he stood there, still stunned looking at Max.  "I'll take this, thank you," she declared.  Then opened the door and waited in the hallway.  Max turned to leave as well.

"I love you too Max," he finally managed as he watched her go.  She glanced back at him, seeing the pain in his eyes, knowing that her face showed the same, but kept walking just the same.  When she reached the door, she closed it softly behind her.

Logan stood watching as the door closed, and then smiled to himself.  _I knew it!_

******************************************************************

Dali somehow managed to pull on her pants and sweatshirt on the way outside.  She told Max that she always had been good at multitasking.  It didn't seem to lighten her mood.  They walked outside and approached Max's bike.

"Hey, can I—", Dali began.

"Hell no," Max interrupted her.  She swung her leg over the side, and Dali hopped on behind her.  The bike started and pulled off into the night.  Dali watched as the several empty buildings of rural Seattle seemed to loom over their heads.  It was broad daylight outside, and for once, the sun shone brightly, lighting the stones of the sidewalk like a glittery carpet, but to Dali, the city never looked darker.  They rode the entire way to Terminal City in silence.

When they reached the gate, Max didn't even bother to stop, or sneak in, they just rode right through, much to the dismay of the city officials and sector police.  Dali wondered when they would be stationed somewhere else.  Xenophobia was still at very high prevalence around the country, but there were no longer protests being staged outside Terminal City.  Logan had said that they were probably there because the moment they left, protestors would be right back at it, this time, with no one to stop them from burning down the city.  As far as he was concerned, the sector police were there for the protection of everyone.

As soon as they entered the common room, a cheer went up.  Dali began to look excited. "Are the Seahawks playing?" she asked to no one in particular.

"Nah," came Dix as he walked up to them.  "we're all just glad to see you."

"Really?"

"No, actually, the Seahawks just scored," he smiled, at which Dali rolled her eyes.  Max marched across the room to a door that led to what had become known as 'her room', even though it was really no bigger than a closet.  She walked in and slammed the door.  For a moment, every head turned towards the door, and then someone stood up and shouted "Field goal good!" and everyone cheered again, seemingly forgetting about their leader.

The game was interrupted by a breaking news update.  A woman in a red sports jacket sat behind a desk, retelling events that had happened just a few minutes ago, while a streaming video played in the upper right hand corner of the screen.

"This," she explained, "is live footage of what has just happened in Washington D.C.  Apparently, the president's daughter, who has been holding several conferences speaking out against transgenics, is now also speaking out against a religious cult.  She claims that she has just come across information suggesting that this cult is to blame for the rise in transgenic population that has come about.  Apparently, the leader is government official Ames White, who only last week was promoted within his sect, and put in charge of ridding the country of the 'transgenic problem'.  These allegations have not been confirmed, more news to come."

"Looks like White can't hide anymore," someone remarked.

"Hey you," came a voice from behind Dali, she tore her eyes off the screen to see who it was.

"Original Cindy, what's up girl?" she replied.

"Not much.  What's the matter with Max?"

Dali sighed.  "She told Logan that she loves him."

"On the real?"

"Straight up, no lies." She paused.  "You'd think they'd both be a little happier…"

"Well actually, this makes it harder.  It was tough enough on Logan before he knew that Max loved him and he couldn't touch her, now it's gonna be twice as hard…for the both of them." She thought for a moment before speaking again.  "I love Max, I really do, she's my boo.  But I swear, sometimes she is so stubborn…I told her a long time ago she should've hooked up with Mr. Moneybags.  If homegirl had listened…"

"Yeah, I know what you mean."

"Now it's too late."

"Maybe not…" Dali said slowly.  "Where's Alec?"

"He actually just went out on the roof a few minutes ago."

"Good lookin," Dali replied as she began to turn away.

"Wait," Cindy stopped her, "are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"No…but if I don't do it now, I'm gonna lose the nerve.  I'll tell you about it later."

"Aight, lata."

Dali swept through the room, slapping hands with several other transgenics as she passed.  An old fire escape in the corner of the room was the door which led to steps to get to the roof.  She climbed them, and slowly opened the door at the top.  She squinted in the sunlight as her eyes quickly scanned the rooftop looking for Alec.  She spotted him sitting on a tin box of some sort, his right side to her, looking up at the flag.  Approaching him cautiously, so as not to startle him, Dali's hypersensitive eyesight showed that there was a tear slowly but surely running down his face.  She drew near to him, and put a hand on his shoulder.  He unexpectedly grabbed her wrist, and pulled her over his shoulder to the ground.

"It's just me," she hissed.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked, trying to nonchalantly wipe the tear stain from his cheek.  "You should know better than to sneak up on a soldier."

She picked herself up off the ground.  "Well, I came up here to talk to you about something, but it looks like you need to talk more than I do."

He just looked at her.  "And what is it that you want again?"

Dali knew she wasn't going to get anything about his situation out of him, so she decided to work on her own.  "You'll never know how hard this is for me to say, but…I need your help."

Post: Ok, the story's gonna move from here on out…It really is much easier to write a chapter when you already know what you want to happen.  Stay tuned.

Angie731


	10. Chapter 9: Heartbreak in the Hospital

Disclaimer: If, in a perfect world, I owned Dark Angel, I would be writing episodes for cash, not fanfic for fun…So no, if you're still wondering, I don't own Dark Angel, but I do own Justin, Dalianna, her family and all her X-siblings, but I'm more than willing to share.  If you'd like to use them, please just ask.  Thank you.

Timeframe: After "Freak Nation", end of Season 2

Author's note: I just want to say thank you to my public (sniff, sniff) for all of the wonderful reviews.  You are what keep me writing (sniff, sniff).  And I just want to thank God, and my parents…and all of the little people…

Chapter 9

Heartbreak at the Hospital

The sun sat low over Seattle, though it was only around 4 pm.  Winter had definitely set in, though the planet was only a week into December.  People spent less and less time outside if at all possible, and the world itself seemed bleak.  Max hadn't been to Logan's since her confession, and each time he'd come to Terminal City, she'd disappeared.  It was hard for Dali to see the distress in his eyes when he realized she was just trying to avoid him, so she tried to explain it to him.  But Logan knew Max better than Dali had expected, he already knew why she was doing what she was doing, he just wanted to know when she would trust him enough to come face to face again.

Dali knew what she had to do, and she knew she didn't have a lot of time to do it.  But she hoped she was doing the right thing, when she knocked on Alec's door.  He opened it swiftly, as though he had been waiting for her.

"You ready?" she asked calmly.

"As I'll ever be," he replied.

"How far away is it?"

"Normally, an hour.  The way I drive…roughly 20 minutes."

"Perfect," Dali said facetiously.

A few moments later, they sped off into the night.  The wind passing caused her hair to whip back, but she hardly felt the sting as she was lost in memories of the past.  Flickering lights in the windows they passed caused one specific memory to jump to mind, something that she hadn't thought about in a long time.  Her first birthday party…

_Dali's mom, her dad, and her little brother all stood around her as Justin brought in a birthday cake with 8 candles in it.  "Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Dali, Happy Birthday to you." They sang.  The chorus was music to Dali's ears.  He set the cake before her, and whispered. "Make a wish and blow out the candles."  Dali thought for a moment, and closed her eyes.  She could still hear the wish flowing through her mind as she took a deep breath, and in seconds, the candles were extinguished.  _I wish that I will always be as happy as I am right now…

Apparently wishes were nothing but hopeless exasperations.  For if her wish had come true, she would be with her family and friends right now, instead of riding on the back of Alec's bike, on her way to do something she never thought she'd have to do again.  _And I still don't get to drive…_

A few minutes later, they pulled into a full parking lot; a worn, torn "Welcome to Harrington Hospital" sign leaning dangerously on a sign post.  The building was pretty shabby-looking, but far better than several other hospitals they had seen.  Perhaps that was why the parking lot was so full.  People came from far and near to receive good medical care; which of course, Harrington was a distant cry from being, but it was as close as you could get.  They hid the bike in a clove of trees nearby and stood watching the comings and goings of several people.  Alec pulled out a small hunting knife.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked cautiously.

"Let's just get this over with." She took the knife from him, took a deep breath, and sliced her hand until blood ran freely.  "Ok," she winced, "let me lean on you." They stood, and he took her arm and let her lean on him to give limping effect.  They approached the door and went inside.

"Showtime," Alec whispered.  The receptionist actually seemed genuinely concerned upon their arrival.

"What's happened?" she asked standing up.

"My friend," Alec began breathlessly, as though they'd run the whole way there, "she fell and cut herself, and I think she sprained her ankle."

"Have a seat," the nurse instructed them.  "I'll try to have someone to see you right away."

_Great,_ Dali thought,_  she'll__ try to have someone see me while I sit here and bleed to death.  She put pressure on her wrist in hopes of stopping the free flow of blood, which had drizzled continuously the entire way inside, and was now pooling deeply in her palm.  She closed her eyes against the throbbing in her wrist, and tried to think of something else, anything else to take her mind off of it.  She never had been one to ignore pain, at least not outside Manticore._

"Are you okay?" Alec asked her.  She opened her eyes to see him staring at her.  Surprisingly, he seemed to really care.  Before she could answer, he took his jacket off, and ripped his shirt into a strip.  He then tied the strip around her hand, the blood seeping through the white cotton reminded her of fruit punch being soaked up by a paper towel.  She wanted to tell him that she was fine, and he didn't have to worry about her, but as she opened her mouth, the world blurred before her, and everything went dark.

************************************************************************

"Dali? Dali?" a voice whispered.  "Wake up."  Dali's head was pounding, as her eyes slowly opened to reveal darkness all around her.  She gave her eyes a moment to adjust to the lack of light, and saw that Alec was kneeling over her.  She sat up quickly.

"What happened?"

"I knew this was a bad idea.  You lost too much blood, you must've hit a vein or something.  Generally, it wouldn't have bothered you that much, but you just got over being sick.  How deep did you make that cut anyway?"

Dali looked down at her bandage, which she could still see the blood soaking through, and shook her head.  "It doesn't matter.  Where are we?"  She looked around, and for the first time, noticed buckets, brooms and mops all around her.

"We're in a janitor's closet.  I had to get you out of the waiting room before someone noticed you'd passed out."

Dali opened the door and peeked through.  "Why are there sector police patrolling the hallways?"

"Duh, to stop thieves like us."

She gave him a look.  "We're just going to have to wait until shift change."

Alec looked at his watch.  "But that's probably not for another 2 ½ hours!" he hissed.

"What can I say?  Take a nap."

Alec sighed.  "I'm stuck in a closet with a female transgenic fugitive breaking and entering, not to mention stealing, so that Max and Logan can get hot and heavy…Anybody else feelin déjà vu?

Dali heard his fugitive remark, but chose to ignore it as she rolled her eyes.  "We're not doing this so Max and Logan can 'get hot and heavy', as you so eloquently put it.  It's just something I have to do for her.  She deserves it."  She settled back against the wall.  It was going to be a long night.

************************************************************************

Dali was sitting at a table.  She looked up, and saw a young boy with braided hair and honey brown eyes just like hers.  She smiled.

"What's up Shorty?" she said.  He just looked at her.  "Dominic?"  The boy smiled, and stood to walk over to her.  He held up his hand, palm first, and she put hers up to his.

"Angels in heaven, from up above…" he started.

"…are looking down on me with love…" she whispered back, smiling.  The surrounding silence was then broken by the familiar sound of a gun barrel being spun.  Dali looked around, but saw nothing.  Two seconds later, a silenced gunshot could be heard, and Dominic took his hand from Dali's.  He put it on the growing spot of blood on his shirt.  He looked up at Dali.

"Am I in trouble?" he gasped, and fell to the ground.

"No! Dominic!"  Dali felt a hand over her mouth, and her eyes flew open.

"Shh!"  Dali panicked.  She felt her heart race, and her breath quicken; she tried desperately to sit up, forgetting where she was.  "Calm down," Alec hissed.  "They're gonna hear us."  Dali stilled as she remembered where she was and what she was doing.  Nonetheless, a flashlight shone through the glass pane in the door to the closet.

"I heard it from in here," said a male voice into a walkie.  "I'm going to check it out. Over."

"Oh crap, now look what you've done."  Alec looked up at the pipes above them.

"Sorry," Dali whispered.  They both stood, leapt into the pipes, and hung there watching as the door opened, and a sector policeman entered.  He took a few steps into the dark room and looked around.  Then he walkied his backup.

"I got nothing.  Must've been a rat or something.  Over."

_A rat…in a hospital?__  My, we've sunk low._  Dali thought to herself, as the blood began to rush to her head.  A wave of dizziness passed over her, and she felt as though she might pass out again.  _That's it.  If I keep hangin up here, we're definitely going to get caught._  She swung her legs down, and wrapped them around the guard's neck.  He never even saw it coming, and in seconds, was unconscious on the ground.  Dali released the pipes and knelt to the ground.

"Let's go," she said to Alec in a soft voice.  She turned and as soon as she heard the low thud of Alec's feet hitting the floor behind her, she opened the door and peeked out.  There wasn't a soul in sight.  They crept out the door and down the hall.  "I think the supply room's on the 3rd floor.  What floor are we on?" she asked.

"The second.  We'll have to take the stairs, it's safer."  At the end of the hall, was a stairwell.  Dali and Alec took the stairs slowly, so as not to notify any more guards, and upon reaching the third floor hallway, found it completely empty.  About 4 doors down, they found the supply room.  Alec jimmied it open, and Dali walked in, using her hypersight in the dark to distinguish between medicines and chemicals.  She walked the aisles, picking up syringes, needles, a bottle of detergent, alcohol and various other medicinal tools and tablets that she needed, and placing them in the small black bag she had brought with her.  A few minutes later, Alec's voice broke through the darkness.

"Are you done yet?"

"Nope, I still need one more thing: pineapple extract, or contact lens solution.  But I can't find any.  Can you help me?"  Alec left his post at the door, and came up behind her to help look.

"Well, it's a hospital, they might have contact lens solution, but what do you need it for anyway?"

"It's an enzyme, it's used to extract DNA from cells."

"It's right there."  He pointed it out to her.  She retrieved the bottle from the shelf, and smiled brightly at him.

"The thrill of victory…"

"FREEZE!" said a voice behind a bright flashlight.

Dali closed her eyes in the intense light, and sighed.  "…oh, and the agony of defeat."

The lights in the room suddenly came on, and Dali squinted as her pupils contracted.   White stepped from behind the flashlight.

"927," he addressed her.

"Scum of the earth," she replied just as icily.

"Didn't think we'd be seeing each other so soon again did you?"  Dali narrowed her eyes, but didn't say anything.  "Yeah, me neither.  I must say, it did unnerve me when I found out that _you _were Manticore's perfect creation.  Knowing that I had you and let you slip through my fingers didn't sit too well with the board members.  But I knew I would find you again, so here we are.  And with 494 no less.  Good job 494, you're free to go."  Dali glared at Alec.

"You told them!" she exclaimed.

"No way!" he denied.  "I didn't even know.  I don't know how they found out.  But I swear I didn't say anything."

"Liar," she seethed.  Two of White's men came up behind her and took her by the arms.

"Take her away…and sedate her." White instructed.

"How could you?" she whispered as they dragged her away.

Alec turned on White and slugged him in the face.  "You son of a bitch!  Bring her back."

White recoiled.  "Temper, temper 494.  We had a deal."

"I don't want any part in your deal.  Bring her back now."

"Or what?" White asked with a mock smile on his face.  The lights went out then, and punches, kicks and all kinds of blows could be heard.  When they came back on, White's men were laid out on the floor, but White himself was still standing.  "What did you do?" he asked angrily, but Alec looked just as surprised as he did.

"I didn't do anything.  What did you do?"

Before White could answer, a young golden-haired transgenic boy stepped out.  White was clearly outnumbered.

"I see.  No matter.  I got what I came for.  See ya around 494.  Oh, and make sure you send my regards to 452."  He turned to leave, and suddenly, a gun was pointed at the back of his head.  Slowly, he turned to face the boy.

"Bring her back," he said frostily.

"And who might you back?" White wondered.

"The last face you'll ever see if you don't bring her back right now.  Not now, but **right now."**

White stared at him for a few moments, inwardly wondering if the young transgenic who stood before him, that he'd never seen before, could really take his life.  White shrugged, he knew he would have his chance again.  He took a radio from his waist, and radioed his men.

"This is White.  Bring her in."  Moments later, two armed gunmen came in carrying Dali's unconscious body and dropped her at Alec's feet.  Alec knelt at her side and glared at Ames.

"What did you do to her?"

"SOP, Standard Operating Procedures.  She's been given a tranquilizer to keep her from attempting escape…but apparently, that was obsolete."  He turned to leave.  "Gentleman."

The boy didn't lower his gun until White was completely out the door.

"Why didn't you shoot him?" Alec asked standing face to face with the younger transgenic.

"He serves another purpose.  Killing him now would have put us at a disadvantage."

"Yeah, well color me confused, but I thought having him alive was our disadvantage."  The boy didn't answer.  "Who the hell are you anyway?"

"My designation's 812."

"Also known as…"

"Randy.  And you are?"

"Alec," he replied.  Randy raised an eyebrow at him.  "494," Alec clarified.  "Look, we don't have time for this, let's get Dali—"

"Lacey."

"Whoever she is, and get back to Terminal City…Max is gonna kill me."  Together, they hoisted the young girl up, and carried her out the door.

Post: Thank you to everyone who has given reviews.  Next chapter up soon.


	11. Chapter 10: Moonlight Magic

Disclaimer: If, in a perfect world, I owned Dark Angel, I would be writing episodes for cash, not fanfic for fun…So no, if you're still wondering, I don't own Dark Angel, but I do own Justin, Dalianna, her family and all her X-siblings, but I'm more than willing to share.  If you'd like to use them, please just ask.  Thank you.

Timeframe: After "Freak Nation", end of Season 2

A/N: Hey guys, a few more chapters.  Stick with me.  Thanks for the reviews.

Chapter 10

Moonlight Magic

Randy and Alec carried Dali into the common room.  There were only a few soldiers there.  Most everybody had cleared out except for the night detail.  Max, who had been going over some papers in a corner, rushed over to them.

"Alec, what happened?  Wait, I don't even want to know.  Knowing you, it was probably something that could have been avoided."  She took one look at Dali's hand, and then glanced up at Alec again.  "How could you let this happen?  What were you thinking?"  She took his make-shift bandage off, and began to apply a clean one of her own.  Dali groaned and shifted a bit.

"Look, it's not like we planned this.  White showed up—"

"White showed up?!" she interrupted him.

"Yeah, he gave her some sedative.  Said something about her being Manticore's perfect creation or something.  And then _this guy just came out of nowhere…"  But Max wasn't paying attention to Alec; she was looking instead at their other visitor._

"Randy?!  Why is it that you only show up when Dali's in trouble?"

"Well it's a good thing I do," he replied, "Otherwise she would be fuel for the fire of the cult.  I didn't see you saving anyone."  Max narrowed her eyes.

"I'm responsible for **everyone** here."

"Yeah, well everyone here would be dead within hours if I hadn't intervened."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Max stated coldly.

"You will soon enough."  With that, he turned and left.  Max sighed and turned to look at Alec.

"I don't—"

"Don't even bother."  She turned her attention to the sleeping girl, who looked as though she was beginning to come out of the fog.  Her eyes fluttered open and she slowly pulled herself to a sitting position.

"What happened?" she asked, then wondered why her friends looked at her as though they didn't know what to say.

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The next night, Dali stood outside Alec's door.  She pressed her ear to the splintering wood, hoping to hear something from inside, but heard nothing.  Hesitantly, she knocked.  She waited a few seconds and heard no response.

"Alec?" No one answered.  "I know you're in there…I can hear you breathing."  She crossed her fingers and hoped he wouldn't call her bluff.  But the door opened, and she walked into darkness, closing the door behind her.  She saw that he wasn't wearing a shirt, and clearly made out each and every one of his abdominal muscles.  She couldn't help but stare.  _Somebody's been spending time at the gym._  

"Can I help you?"

Dali's eyes traveled until they landed on his face, eyebrow cocked, looking pretty annoyed.  "Alec, scientists have made a recent discovery of this wonderful thing called light, most people use it.  Not all transgenics can see in the dark you know."

She could easily make out his shrug as he sat on the bed.  "The ones that are important enough to come in can…and I'm not 'most people'.  What do you want?"

Dali sighed as she sat next to him.  "I never got the chance to thank you," she mumbled while looking at the floor.

"What did you say?"

She looked into his eyes.  "I said I never got the chance to thank you…you know, for not telling Max that it was my idea to go to the hospital.  I know she must've chewed you out."

"Yeah she did."

"What'd she say?"

"Ah, the usual.  Something about me being immature and reckless, you know denying my responsibility and never listening to her…I don't know, I wasn't really listening."

Dali giggled.  "Sounds like something she would say.  So, um, why didn't you tell her?"

Alec scoffed.  "And miss the chance to hear the dreaded 'I'm a leader, I'm in charge' speech?  I'd have to be insane."

Dali smiled at him.  "She means well, I know she does."

"Anyway, is that why you came down here?"

"Yeah, to say thanks for everything.  Not just for taking me and keeping me out of trouble…but for saving my life."

"Well, actually…" he began, and then Max's voice rang clear in his head.  The words spoken to him just hours before.  '_Whatever you do, don't tell her about Randy.'_

"Yeah?"

"…actually, it was no big deal.  White's a loser."

"Yeah," she looked at him closely for a moment, and was surprised to see his eyes meet hers.  "Well, I better go; I got some stuff to do."

"Ok," he whispered.

She walked towards the door, but stalled upon reaching it, and turned to face him again.  "Hey, you wanna give me a hand?"

************************************************************************

A few moments later, they were in a basement room, a wooden table standing before them, holding various contents, and the moonlight shining through a nearby window.  Dali clicked on a lantern she had brought with her and sat it on the windowsill.

"Why don't you put it on the table?" Alec asked her.

"Because if anything happens, and something is spilled, we're all going kaboom.  Now the first thing we have to do is take my blood sample."  She looked down at her hand.  _I so do not want to do this…not again.  Alec seemed to read her mind, and he held up the old bandage that Max had changed._

"Voila," he smiled.

"Ok, first let me say, gross, I can't believe you actually kept that, and second, thank you.  I would really rather not slice open any more vastly important circulatory tubes.  Water."  He handed her the water, and she placed the wrap in the miniature battery powered blender Alec stole from somewhere, and poured the water over it.  She waited until the blood had run from the wrap to the water, and wrung it out.  "Sodium Chloride." He handed her the salt, and she added a pinch.  "Ok, phase one: Blend on high for 15 seconds."  Which she did.  "30 ml. detergent." He handed her a cup with a blue liquid in it, which she also added.  "Phase two: swirl and let stand for 3 minutes, and then add two drops of the contact lens solution."  She let Alec's watch keep time, and prepared for the next step.  "Phase three: add the alcohol."  She added the alcohol, and they watched as skinny, barely visible strands transferred from the blood/water mixture to the alcohol.  Dali used a syringe to remove the alcohol and put it in its own vial.  "And there you have it ladies and germs," she told Alec as she held up the vial for him to inspect.

"Wow, a homemade DNA extraction…remarkable."  He seemed impressed, and she smiled at him.  "Where'd you learn to do that?"

"Bio 213: Genetics.  I took a few courses at the University of Washington a few years back.  They wouldn't let me graduate though, said I was too young.  I was 14, I think I was perfectly old enough."

Alec laughed.  "Right.  So how's this gonna help again?"

"Well, these strands are my DNA, which has parasitic characteristics.  I could never catch a virus, because viruses work by taking over cells, killing the DNA, and replicating their own.  My DNA could never be killed off.  Instead, it would take over the virus, and do the very thing to it, that it was trying to do to me…"

Alec looked at her as though she had grown a third head.  "Come again?"

She sighed.  "It's complicated.  All you have to know is that when Max has this in her system, the DNA will attack the virus, killing it off within a matter of minutes."

"And it won't like miraculously come back or anything?"

"Nope, viruses mutate, that's why the last cure didn't work.  But my DNA will attack _any virus.  So even if it does come back, Max will already be carrying the antibodies."_

"So this is it then, the virus is finally going down?"

"Well, I have a few more changes to make, and some tests to run.  But the essence of it all is right here in this tube."

"So when are you going to tell Max?"

"When I think she's ready."

"What?  Haven't you seen how she's been lately?  You think she's not ready?  She won't even come out of her room unless it's an emergency.  That's dangerous.  Not just for her, but with the president's daughter speaking against us, and White and the rest of the peanut gallery hunting us down to kill us, it's dangerous for everyone."

"And what, you think this cure is all of a sudden just going to make her come out?"

"She wants to be with Logan."  Dali saw a hint of something in Alec's eye when he said this.  She couldn't quite put her finger on what it was, and it was gone as quickly as it appeared.  "If this can help her, then I think you should give it to her now.  Holding out is just plain torture.  If she knew you had this, she would hunt you down."

"That's just it.  I don't want her to be selfish about it.  This is supposed to be something to help make a good relationship stronger.  Not a cure-all for something that wouldn't work in the first place.  If Max and Logan can't make it work without this, then what makes you think it would work with it?"

Alec stared at her for a few moments, and then gave a little smile.  "When did you get so smart?"

Dali smiled back.  "I had good parents."  He looked her in the eye, and his hand came up to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear, lingering for a moment on her cheek.  He leaned forward.  Instinctively, Dali closed her eyes.  _Hey, this reminds me of the time Justin and I—Justin!  All of her thoughts came to a screeching halt as a vision of his smiling face danced in her head.  Her eyes flew open and she turned her head away.  Alec stopped and looked at her._

"What's the matter?" he whispered.  She turned to look at him.

"I'm sorry, Alec.  I can't," she whispered back.  He sighed and nodded.  Then he headed for the door, opening and closing it softly, leaving Dali in the light of the lantern and the moon, on her own.

Post: Ok, thanks again guys.  Next chapter'll be up shortly.

Angie731


	12. Chapter 11: Bouncin' In Da Club

Disclaimer: Look, if you've been reading my story up until now, you already know what I'm going to say.  It's owned by people who were ungrateful enough to let it be cancelled.  I do own Justin, Dalianna, her family and all her X-siblings, but I'm more than willing to share.  If you'd like to use them, please just ask.  Thank you.

Timeframe: After "Freak Nation", end of Season 2

A/N: Hey guys, thanks again for the wonderful reviews.  (my muse has an incredibly inflated ego, and she loves to hear what a wonderful job she's doing…but you didn't hear that from me)

Chapter 11

Bouncin' In Da Club

Alec retreated to his room, a wounded soldier, albeit he would be the last to admit it.  He laid down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling.  _Alec, you moron, what were you thinking?  She's way out of your league, buddy.  Give it up.  Besides, after Rachel, you promised that there'd never be another.  Then Max came along…but she's with Cale.  No.  I won't put myself through it.  Not again._  He sighed as he counted the holes in the ceiling, unable to drift into any type of sleep.  _1…2…3…_

Dali sat and stared out into the darkness.  Her eyes boring holes through the vast nothingness, luminated only by the pale beams of the moon, and the incessantly dimming kerosene lantern.  _Dali, you idiot, what were you thinking?  Alec reaches out to you, and what do you do?  You pull away.  Typical, typical, typical Dali blockhead-like behavior.  But what about Justin?  Her brain began to wage war with itself.  __What about him?...after him, you promised that there'd never be another…Well, that was then…But what about everything he meant to you…There's nothing I can do about that, he's gone now.  Besides, he would want me to be happy…But…it's Alec!  Dali smiled at herself.  _Who would've thought?  Certainly not me…Well, what do I do now?_  Then she smiled again, she knew exactly what to do._

_432…433…434…Okay, this isn't working._  He sat up on his bed and sighed.  Suddenly, the door to his room opened, allowing a single beam of light to pierce the deep darkness.  Dali came in and closed the door behind her.  She sat down slowly with Alec on the bed, as he stared open-mouthed at her.

"What are you doing here?" he asked her.  But she didn't reply, instead held a finger to his lips.  _I hope you know what you're doing, she thought.  It seemed as though everything was happening in slow motion.  Her heartbeat quickened slightly, and a silvery haze covered her eyes.  She traced his jaw-line with her finger, and, pushing all thoughts of Justin from her mind, she leaned forward._

Centimeters from his lips, the door flew open.

"Alec, what are you doing?"

Dali gritted her teeth, before turning to their intruder.  _Damn it all.  Before them stood Max, arms crossed, a look of clear surprise on her face._

"Am I interrupting something?"

_Damn it Max, don't you ever knock?_  Dali could hear Alec's thoughts clear as day, and had to control herself to keep from laughing.

"Impeccable timing, Max," she stated.  "Alec and I were just getting ready to come see if you wanted to go hang out at Crash tonight." _Funny, Max thought,_ looked like you were just getting ready to perform emergency tonsillectomies on each other.__

Alec looked over at Dali.  "We were?"

"Yes," she insisted, raising an eyebrow at him, "we were."

Max had an amused look on her face, but much to their surprise, accepted the proposal.  "Well, actually, I do kind of need to get out, get my mind off things."  She turned and left without another word.  Dali let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding, and got up to leave too, but Alec took hold of her hand.

"Pick up where we left off?" he wondered.

Dali looked at him for a few seconds before surprising herself.  "Later," she smiled and left.

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_Dali sat swinging her legs at the kitchen table, as she took in another heaping spoonful of food.  She was vaguely aware of the three pairs of eyes watching her, and wondered briefly if she had made the right decision staying here.  Maybe she ought to keep moving…after all, she was in enemy territory.  She decided that at the present moment, she wasn't in any immediate danger, and having a place to sleep inside was definitely preferable to sleeping on the outside, especially in the snow.  She looked up to meet the older man's warm brown eyes.  She then glanced briefly at the woman, who was also watching her, and even the baby seemed to be unable to take his eyes off of her._

_"Is there a problem, sir?" she asked._

_It took him a moment to realize this young child was speaking to him.  "No," he finally managed to get out.  "No, I just…Do you have any family?"_

_Dali kept her eyes on him.  "Negative.  Families are liabilities.  The only things that matter are the mission, one's unit and the objective."  The man raised his eyebrows.  Dali almost smacked herself._ What, are you still at Manticore? _she wondered.  It took her months with the Kormans to realize how wrong she really was._

***********************************************************************

Dali stood watching herself and laughing at her own failed attempts at applying make-up while looking in the grime smeared mirror that hung in the bathroom.  How had she come this far?  What was she going to do?  Everything seemed to be getting so complicated.  What with the transgenics, the Convlave, the ordinaries, the xenophobia, Max and Logan, worries about food, clothing, sleep and protection.  And now Alec…all of this thinking was only resulting in a colossal migraine.  The last thing she needed was another panic attack.  So she decided to put everything out of her mind, if only for tonight, and just try to concentrate on having a little fun.  After all, that was their purpose for getting Max out…right?

A few minutes later, Dali, Max and Alec all met outside the headquarters building.

"Hey, can I drive?"

"Hell no!" Max and Alec answered simultaneously.

Dali raised her eyebrows. "And said in surround sound…Wow, you guys are really overprotective."  She hopped on the back of Max's ninja without another word.

"Yeah," Max replied as she put on her shades, "and you're really persistent."  She leaned to the side, knocked up the kickstand, turned the key in the ignition and they roared off with Alec not far behind.

"Hey watch out for the—" Dali was cut off as the front wheel left the ground smashing through the gate at the entrance to Terminal City. "…gate," she finished unceremoniously.  She looked back and spotted a group of sector police ranting at them.  One voice came through loud and clear.

"Damn you, freaks!"

"Drop dead pea-brain!" She shouted at them over the roar of the engines.  _Pea-brain??  I haven't used that insult since like the 5th grade!  But all thoughts of insults and why they were being aimed at her left her mind, as she once again resolved to enjoy herself.  _I WILL have a good time…I WILL have a good time…_she told herself over and over again.  But if she truly believed that, why was she overcome by this sense of inevitable dread?_

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Dali said nothing as the ride continued.  Riding on the back of Max's bike always gave her a rush.  Something about not having any boundaries, and just letting the wind have its way made the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stand up.  She wondered how it would feel to drive it…just once.  Max stopped about a block from the club and got off.

"Why'd you stop here?" Dali wondered.  "I don't really feel like walking."

"Because we don't want to draw attention to ourselves.  Now get off the bike, lazy."

Dali sighed and got off.  Alec approached her from behind.

"Why are we walking?"

Max only sighed, rolling her eyes.  "Let's just go."  They headed toward the entrance, but stopped upon seeing the line gathered outside.  A big, burly man stood at the door.

"Go home people; we're over our max.  No one else's getting in."  Though no one moved, this elicited several groans from everyone standing outside, including Dali.

"Looks like we're going home," she sighed.

"Not necessarily," Max countered with a gleam in her eye.  She unzipped her jacket and gave a seductive smile.

"What are you doing?" Dali asked her.

"Don't worry," Alec whispered to her.  "She does this ALL the time.  She's a pro."  Max began to walk over, when suddenly, Dali reached out to stop her.

"Wait," she said narrowing her eyes at the bouncer.  "Max, stay.  Alec, you go."

"What?!" was Alec's quick reply.

Dali's eyes never left the bouncer.  "You said Max does this all the time, which means you must've seen her in action.  You know what to do, go ahead, do your thing."

"This isn't _my_ thing.  It's _Max's thing."_

"Well, if Max does it, it's not gonna work."

"Why not?" Max asked.  "Don't you have faith in my capabilities?"

Dali rolled her eyes.  "It has nothing to do with your capabilities.  The bouncer's gay," she replied matter-of-factly.  Max and Alec both raised their eyebrows.  "Yep, I can smell it on him over here.  Apparently, working isn't the only thing he's done tonight…"

It was Max's turn to roll her eyes.  "Can we focus please?"

Dali smiled, "Now you sound like Logan."  At the mention of Logan's name, Max clamped her mouth shut.

"I'm not doing this," Alec interrupted them.

"Alec you have to.  If you don't, we don't get in," Dali replied.  Alec thought for a moment.

"Alright, fine.  But if either of you speaks a word of this—"

Max and Dali showered him with promises of taking it to the grave before he finally walked off.

"Oh, I know a lot of people who would pay big bucks to be in my shoes right now," Max whispered.

"I know what you mean.  Shh, watch."  They both watched as Alec approached the guard, and begun to talk.  Max strained, but even with her super-hearing she couldn't hear what was going on.

"What's he saying?" she asked.

Dali zoned her eyes in on the two men, and tuned her hearing up a notch.  But no sooner had she gotten to the perfect pitch, when the guard smiled, and Alec turned to wave them over.  They approached them slowly, so as not to be conspicuous, and the guard held the door for them.  Apparently, he hadn't been lying.  They were definitely over maximum capacity, whatever that was for them.  But the place was packed.  Dali had never been inside the club, and took it all in randomly.  A pool game here, some friends having a drink there, it seemed almost as if the partygoers were sending out a message to the rest of the world, that no electromagnetic pulse was strong enough to stop them from getting their party on.

Surprisingly, they found a few empty stools at the bar, and quickly made their way over before anyone else could take them.  The bartender smiled at them.

"Hey, haven't seen you guys in awhile.  What can I get you?"

Max smiled back.  "Gimme three beers please."

"Make that two," Dali interrupted.

"Oh, you don't drink?" Alec asked with a look of clear astonishment on his face.  As though he expected that everyone did.

"I didn't say that," Dali responded.  "I just don't drink beer.  Can I get a fuzzy navel on ice please?"

"You don't drink beer, but you drink hard liquor?" Max asked.

"I never really had a taste for beer," the young girl replied.  The bartender approached them and set their drinks before them.  Dali downed hers in one shot.  Alec looked on, clearly impressed.

 "Well, look who finally decided to join the world of the living," came a familiar voice from behind them.  Dali turned to see OC standing there.

"Hey Cindy," Max said bumping her fist, "what's really good?"

"Chillin," she replied.  "What are you guys doing outside Terminal City?"

"Taking the night off," Alec replied for them.

"From?" she asked, sitting on a stool next to them.

"From being transgenic," Dali answered. "Tonight, we are simply three friends out having a good time, keeping our minds off the trials and tribulations that have become a daily ritual."  She raised her second drink, and clinked glasses with Alec before downing it once again.

"I see."

"Hey Alec, what'd you have to promise that guy to get us in here?" Max asked over the noisy chaos that filled the room.

"You don't want to know," he muttered in reply.  "Just understand that I will NEVER go through with it."

"He might be kinda pissed that you lied to him," Cindy told him.  Alec shrugged his shoulders.

Dali glanced at him.  "Don't feel bad.  I'm a human lie detector.  Lying is my specialty.  I do it all the time."

A boy in a t-shirt, and a brown leather jacket came up behind Dali and put his hand on the counter in front of her.  "Buy you a drink?"

Dali gave him a fake smile.  "No thanks."  But he was relentless.

"Yeah, a pretty young girl like you must have guys lining up to get you a free drink."

"Something like that," she replied clearly uninterested.

"So what's your name?"

Dali sighed.  _He had enough money to buy that coat; maybe he should have used some of it to buy himself a clue. "Unavailable."  She turned and hopped off the seat, but he was close behind.  He grabbed her wrist and turned her around.  Dali felt rather than saw Max tense, as she watched the scene unfold before her.  But the young girl shot her older sibling a look that clearly said "I can handle it"._

"Hey, no one disrespects me.  I know how to handle young girls like you."

Dali actually smiled at that.  "Oh really?" she asked.  She snatched her wrist away and took him by the shoulders, gently pushing him towards the wall.  When they got there, she wrapped her fingers around his neck in a not-so-gentle way, squeezing until he was gasping for air and leaned in close so that her lips brushed his ear.  "And I know how to handle perverts like you.  Let's try to be fair, and we'll do this quid pro quo.  You do something for me; I do something for you.  Now I, am going to refrain from taking away your ability to have children, and you know what you're gonna do for me?"

"What?" he barely squeaked.

"Take your slimy, ugly, grimy, scrawny, no good, can't hack it, waste of skin ass and leave, and you're never gonna come back."  She smiled sweetly at him.  "Isn't that right?"  He didn't respond, and the grip on his neck tightened.  "Isn't that right?"

"Consider it done," he gasped.

She gave him an even wider smile.  "I'm so glad we understand each other.  Now get outta my sight before I change my mind."  She released her hold on his neck, leaving visible bruises, and he slinked away towards the door, coughing and holding his collar.  Dali made her way back to the bar.  Max glowered at her as she neared them.  "What?" Dali snapped.  She really wasn't in the mood.

"Whatever happened to not drawing attention to ourselves," Max snapped back through barred teeth.

"Hey," the bartender interrupted them, "that sleazebag has been chasing away my female customers for two months now.  It was about time somebody showed him who was boss."

"Yeah, well the universe has its own way of taking care of scum like him," Dali replied.

"Still, thanks for that.  You're pretty good," he smiled at her.

She smiled back.  "Eat your heart out."  She slapped a five on the counter and turned to leave, but Alec caught her sleeve.

"Where you headed?"

"It's kind of warm in here; I'm gonna go get some air.  I'll be back in a little while."

"You sure you're ok?"

"Yeah, peachy," she replied before walking away.  She squeezed by some guys having a bar brawl over a poker game, and pushed through the door, giving the bouncer a small wave as she passed.  She began to walk down the sidewalk, not entirely sure of where she was going.  But as she passed an alleyway, she heard screams.  It was almost pitch black, but she saw none other than the boy from earlier, harassing a girl who looked to be younger than her.  She sighed and put her hand on her hip.  "Unbelievable.  I thought we had a deal."

They both looked up at her, and in his surprise, the boy let the girl go, she was off in a flash.

"You really know how to ruin a guy's fun," he spat at her.

She raised an eyebrow.  "You have no idea."  He slowly walked over to her, then quickly grabbed her by the arms and slammed her up against the side of the stone building.

He leaned in close; his breath smelling strongly of what Dali decided must've been scotch.  "You know, my father told me never to hit a girl.  But I know that you're just another one of those freaks that came out of the test tube.  You're not even human."

Dali's eyes went cold as they filled with anger.  "Well in that case, I can't be held accountable for my actions."  She pulled her arms out of his grasp, took hold of his shirt and kneed him in the groin, causing him to double over in pain before falling to the ground.  She rolled him over and sat on his chest.  All the sadness, hurt, guilt, pain and confusion of the past years finally boiling over; it was too much to bear.  She grabbed him by the collar and slugged him in the jaw.  She hit him again, and again, and again, only vaguely aware of the crunching bones beneath her knuckles and the dull ache that jolted her arm.  From far away, she could hear a familiar voice calling her name, yelling at her to stop.  She wanted to stop, but it was as if her body no longer cared what her mind wanted.  Suddenly, she was enveloped by a strong pair of arms, and pulled off the boy's chest.

"Dali!" Alec screamed at her, turning her around.  "What the hell is wrong with you?"  The look in her eyes scared him.  He had seen that look before…it was the same look Max had on her face when she realized that Alec had been in collusion with Manticore to keep her and Logan apart.  She didn't reply, but only stared at him as though confused.  He shook her hard.  "Snap out of it!"

Dali blinked her eyes a few times, trying to clear her head.  She raised her hand in front of her face to see her fingers covered in blood.  "Alec…oh my god…what have I done?"  Hot tears stung at the back of her eyes, and it was hard to keep them from coming forth and falling.  _Max, I need you! her mind screamed out.  She backed into the wall and sank to the ground, unable to stop the tears as they silently streamed down her face.  She was distantly conscious of Alec sitting next to her holding her hand, and telling her it would be ok.  Her head found his shoulder and that's how Max found them, moments later._

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Through the dark, Dali could hear voices.

"What was wrong with her?" the female voice asked.

"I don't know," a male voice responded.  "I kept yelling at her to stop, but she wouldn't.  She had this look in her eyes…I don't think she recognized me at first."

"What'd the paramedics say?"

"Broken jaw, minor bruises.  I think they said she probably knocked him out on the first hit, which means he was lucky enough to be out of it for everything after that."

"No, Dali's the one who's lucky.  If that girl hadn't come forward and admitted that the guy was attacking her and Dali helped save her, then she would probably be either in jail or White's possession right now."

"Max, chill.  She's got a lot on her mind.  She probably didn't even know what she was doing."

Dali's eyes opened, and Max and Alec got quiet.  She glanced over at them.

"How you feel?" Alec asked her.  She blinked a few times realizing for the first time that she was back in her bed in her room in Terminal City.

"Like I've got a bad hangover," she admitted.  Sitting up slowly, a wave of nausea hit her, and she laid back down.  Her eyes landed on Max.  "I'm really sorry Max," was all she could manage.  Max nodded but didn't say anything.  _What in the world was I thinking? she wondered.  A flashback entered her mind._

_Justin and Dali sat on some swings where the chain links were barely holding them up.  Justin asked Dali if she'd ever killed anyone.  She looked over at him, and admitted that she had, but only because Lydecker had told her too.  He nodded without saying anything else, and she wondered if she should tell him about the game.  In the end, she decided that she didn't want anymore secrets, and she told him._

_"Search and Destroy? But why would you want to do that?  I mean, you did it because you had to obviously, but you didn't enjoy it right?"  Justin looked over at his best friend, but she avoided his gaze.  "How could you?"_

_She glanced up at him quickly.  "Did you ever play Manhunt as a kid, before you met me?"_

_He nodded.  "Yeah, we played all the time in my old neighborhood."_

_"And didn't you enjoy it?"_

_"Well yeah.  I loved it, the thrill of the hunt, working together, chasing, being chased…it was fun." Dali smiled at his memory. "But the instinct was to catch, not to kill.  That's just not human."  The smile fell from Dali's face as quickly as it had appeared._

The flashback ended.  Max and Alec looked at her with concern.

"Are you Ok?" Max asked.

She nodded slowly and turned to look out the window.  "Yeah, I just need to be alone."  Silently the two rose and left, closing the door behind them.  Dali looked out at the sun just beginning to come over the horizon, and really believed for the first time in her life that she truly was a monster.


	13. Chapter 12: Christmas Eve in Terminal Ci...

Disclaimer: I have finally come to accept that I do not now, nor will I ever own Dark Angel…It took many lonely nights and several medications for withdrawal before I was able to do so. So please do not chide me for it.  I do own Justin, Dalianna, her family and all her X-siblings, but I'm more than willing to share.  If you'd like to use them, please just ask.  Thank you.

A/N: Okay, this chapter really isn't that great, but hey, whatever.  I'm almost finished the story. A few more chapters…I think.  Are you guys still reading?  Please review.  Thank you.

Timeframe: After "Freak Nation", end of Season 2

Chapter 12

Christmas Eve in Terminal City

White sat at his desk, watching the sun come over the horizon.  He had been trying for days to figure out a way to get in to Terminal City.  Rumor had it that that was where all the transgenics stayed.  He figured that 452 and 927 would most definitely be there.  But they would be surrounded by others like themselves.  He needed to find a way to surprise them when they weren't on the inside.  His miracle came a few minutes later as the phone rang loudly, breaking the silence of the room.

"For my mother before me, for my daughters."

"For my father before me, for my sons," was his response.

"The time is now.  I know her consciousness, her thoughts.  She will dream about the boy, and then she will leave to try to protect him.  Be there when she does, and you will have both of your targets."

White smiled evilly.  "Congratulations.  I think you've just earned your promotion."

"Thank you, Mr. White," the female voice answered.

"Fe'nos tal."

"Fe'nos tal." He hung up the phone, and picked up his walkie.  "Get me a special ops TAC team.  We move out in 48 hours."

************************************************************************

Usually, the days in December flew by for Dali.  She loved Christmas.  It was always a time of joy; a time to be spent with the family; a time for giving.  It was Christmas Eve.  Last year, she had spent the holiday with Justin, on the run.  This year, she hoped it would be better.

Dali sat in a chair in the midst of the group of transhumans and transgenics in Gogo's, the bar in Terminal City.  She figured if she ever showed her face at Crash again, she might get arrested.  In her hand was the control to a game.  The crowd stood watching her every move on the huge wall-sized television.  She couldn't help feeling elated over the chant for her to win.

"GO! GO! GO! GO!" they screamed.  Max walked around with a bucket in hand, people dropping money into it as she went along.  The game resounded.  It was over, Dali had won.

"Hand it over folks," Max demanded, "Mama needs a new pair of shoes."

One of the guys walked up to Dali.  "How do you do it?" he asked.

"It's a gift," she replied with a smile.

Suddenly, Max approached them.  "Back off Bub!" She turned to Dali.  "Is this guy bothering you?"  _We don't need a repeat of the other night._

"No," Dali replied, a little annoyed.  "We were just talking."  The guy walked off in a huff, and the crowd started another chant.

"One more game! One more game! One more game!"

Dali sighed.  "No guys, I don't think so.  I'm too tired."

But they grew steadily louder.  "ONE MORE GAME! ONE MORE GAME!"

"Come on, Dali," Max pleaded. "One more game? All we need is a couple hundred dollars more, and BAM! new bike."  Dali raised an eyebrow at her. "And…I'll let you drive it."

She sighed beaten.  "Ok, one more game.  But that's it Max."  With that, she turned back to the television, and Max walked off to see Original Cindy, sitting at the bar.

"What's up sistah girl?" Cindy greeted her.

"Chillin' you?" Max replied.

"Watchin young girl.  She's pretty good.  How come you never did that?  We could've made a lot of money, a long time ago."

"I don't know.  Actually, I tried beating that game awhile ago.  Got high score, but came nowhere near actually beatin it."

"Damn," Cindy said, "homegirl beat it twice in 3 hours."

"I think it has something to do with her DNA.  She's different."

"I hate it break it to you Boo, but all y'all is different."

"But she's even more different than the rest of us.  She's got this Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde thing going on.  One second she's this sweet young girl, who just wants to be back with her family, and the next, it's like she's right out of Manticore.  Plus, her barcode has 13 digits."

"Ok…" Cindy said, not really sure where she was going.

"Manticore barcodes are only 12."

"Oh, well she doesn't seem that much different to me.  Sometimes she's like Alec, sometimes she's like you."

"Yeah, but it's small things.  She has these special abilities.  Beating this game?  Probably nothing to her."

"Hmm."  Cindy replied as she looked up.  The crowd was loving Dali.  She had beaten another game.  Max looked up and smiled at Cindy.  "I'll be right back."

Dali strolled over to the bar and sat down on a stool next to her friend.  She looked up at Dix, the bartender.  "Hey Dix, can I get a iced tea please?"

"Sure thing," he replied.  Lately, they had been running short on supplies, but with the protests dying down, and everyone paying attention to the president's daughter and the news, they had been able to sneak out and grab some supplies.

"I seen you rockin' them scores up there Boo.  You aight."  Cindy said to her.

Dali smiled a little. "Thanks."

"What's up?"

"Nothin," Dali replied.

"This is Original Cindy you talkin' to.  Now she may not be able to run faster than a speeding bullet or able to leap 20 ft. fences in a single bound, but she got aces across the boards when it comes to catchin the feminine vibes.  So talk to me."

Dali sighed.  "Max is your best friend right?"

Cindy nodded.  "Yeah, we pretty tight."

Dali looked her in the eye.  "Has she ever gotten angry with you?"

"Come again?"

"Have you ever done anything that really pissed her off?"

"Yeah.  But Max and I have been through a lot together, even before I knew what she was.  It's been plenty of ups and downs throughout, but through it all, we stuck together, and that's what a real friend is.  I heard about the whole Crash thing.  All men are scum.  Don't sweat it.  Trust me, Max will get over it."

Dali played in her tea, and nodded slowly.

"What made you ask that anyway?"

Dali began slowly.  "I'm just trying to be careful with my relationships.  I've lost just about everybody I ever cared about, and I want to make sure the friendship's true before I stay here.  I just want to have some friends, be normal as I possibly can be.  But sometimes, it seems like she doesn't even like me."

Cindy smiled at her.  "Boo, of course she likes you."

"Yeah tonight!  Of course she does, she's getting money off me."

"Max wouldn't do that.  She's your sister."

Dali smirked.  "Yeah, define sister.  A female first blood relative that shares at least one common biological parent factor, and 50% DNA…and we don't even have that…"

"Dali, Max is your family, she cares about you."

"She has a funny way of showing it.  The only real conversation we've ever had was about her and Logan…oh, and that time I spilled my guts about my family."  She stared off into the distance.  "You know, when this whole xenophobia thing started, I felt so alone.  It's like somebody takes your greatest fault, the thing that makes you the most vulnerable and blows it up for the whole world to see.  When I heard about Terminal City, I was so relieved.  I thought I had finally found a place where I could fit in.  But I don't fit in here.  People think I don't notice the funny stares I get and the whispers.  Especially after the other night."

"About what?" Cindy wondered.

"The 13th digit.  They think just because I have the genius IQ to go along with the Manticore knowledge that I think I'm better than them."

"Genius IQ?  I thought all y'all was supposed to be super smart."

"We're raised and built with better memories and high intuitiveness, which makes it easier for them to cram all that crap into our heads, but the willingness to learn, and the capacity to catch on quickly is innate.  Even among transgenics.  For some reason, mine is just higher than everyone else's."

"Oh, Original Cindy feels you."

"So I don't fit in with the humans, and I don't fit in with the transgenics.  I don't fit in anywhere.  I thought coming here would be better, make me feel safer, but it doesn't.  It's actually worse.  At least out there, people hate you to your face."  She finished her iced tea, just as Max walked up.

"Guess who's gonna be the proud owner of a new Ninja 1200?" Max asked.

"Peewee Herman?" Dali asked sarcastically.

"Who?" Max wondered.

"Nothin," she replied.  She took a look at Cindy, and grabbed her coat.  "Thanks for listening Cindy.  I gotta bounce."

"Whoa, whoa, wait.  Where are you going?" Max questioned her.

"I just need a little fresh air.  I'll be back in a few."

Max eyed her suspiciously as she left.  "What's eatin her?"

"Why don't you ask her?" Cindy responded.

Max's head snapped up from counting money.  "I'm sorry?"

"I said ask her.  How much do you actually know about her?"

Max squinted her eyes in thought.  "I know enough.  She doesn't really talk much."

"Oh she talks.  You just have to listen."

"I'm not following you."

"Original Cindy just had a convo with little Miss Einstein.  She thinks you don't like her."

"What?" Max scoffed.  "That's ridiculous.  She's my little sister."

"Well to quote the young philosopher.  Define sister: a female first blood relative sharing at least one common biological parent factor, and 50% DNA…and y'all don't even have that."  Max stood silently, a look of clear shock on her face.  "Plus she says that the rest of the transgenics are giving her a hard time bout that 13th digit thing, and what went on the other night."

"That's not true," Max countered.

"Oh?"  Cindy asked.

Max looked to a nearby table, where two X-6's and another X-5 that she knew were drinking and laughing.  Max toned her hearing to hear what they were saying.

"Yeah, I heard about that.  She went postal on a guy outside," the guy X-5 stated.

"Broke his jaw, knocked out 2 teeth," the girl X-6 responded.

"Flat out dropped him.  He didn't even know it was coming," the guy said.

"I heard that she's actually the one that White's looking for.  Rumor has it, if he got her, he was gonna leave the rest of us alone," the guy X-6 finally spoke up.

"Yeah, she's supposed to be like the best Manticore ever put out or something.  It's that 13th digit thing she's got going on.  She's some kind of freak," the girl said.

"We should just turn her over to the Conclave.  Then this whole thing would be over," the guy X-6 laughed.

Max had heard enough.  She walked over to the table and turned it over, knocking their drinks and glasses to the floor.  The laughter stopped, and every head in the room turned toward her.

"That's my sister you're talking about.  And if I ever hear you talking about her like that again, the table won't be the only thing I turn over."  She turned to the rest of the group.  "How can you guys treat her like that?  She's one of us.  It's bad enough she has to deal with it from the people out there, but then to come and deal with it from everyone in here?"  Her voice lowered to a whisper.  "You're no better than they are."  It didn't matter that her voice was so low.  Everyone could hear her loud and clear, and the array of guilty looks spread vastly.  She turned and left to go find the young girl.

************************************************************************

She found her sitting atop the roof of the command center on the very edge of the building.  Staring out into the cloudy night.  _This whole thing is just a mess.  Justin…I wish you were here._

"Thought I might find you here."  A voice interrupted her thoughts, but she didn't look up.  Max came and sat down beside her.  "You shouldn't be sitting so close to the edge, you might fall."  Dali finally looked over at her.

"I don't know what came over me…It was like I wanted to stop…but I couldn't.  Lately, it just seems like everything's spiraling out of control.  With White, the transgenics, the transhumans, the normals, xenophobia, the Conclave, Alec and everything else…it just feels like my head is going to explode, and it just….it hurts."

"Look, I swear I didn't know what was going on…"

"I know.  You've got enough to deal with on your own." She sighed.  "I think maybe it's time for me to keep going."

"You're leaving Terminal City? Why?" Dali didn't answer, but instead looked out over the city.  Lights flickering in some of the windows.  People walking with hoods over their heads.  Fear in the air everywhere she turned.  They were supposed to be soldiers; they shouldn't even know the meaning of the word fear.  But it seemed as though not only did they know what it meant, but it showed on their faces.  "Is it because of the other night?  Look, honestly, don't sweat it.  Everyone loses it once in a while."

Dali looked over at her.  "Have you?"

Max looked thoughtful for a moment.  "Yeah, I have.  And I've done a lot worse than deal a broken jaw."

Dali smiled.  "Once, I blew up at this girl in school.  She really pissed me off one day.  Everyone hated her though.  So it didn't really matter."

"What'd she do?"

"She called me a test tube baby," Dali sighed and Max raised her eyebrows.  "I don't think she knew what she was talking about, she had probably just heard it somewhere, and said it 'cause she was mad at me.  But it really struck a nerve."

Max nodded.  "Did you break her jaw too?"

Dali looked over at her surprised.  "No!...But I did break her arm…in three different places."

Max laughed.  "You know, sometimes we feel so alone, and we think that nobody's there for us.  I know I have.  But it's times like those when people who love us stand out the most.  Like Logan…even if we never find a cure for this virus, I know he'll always be there for me; and I will always be there for him."  She smiled to herself.  Just as Max finished, soft snowflakes began to slowly fall from the sky as if by magic.  Dali thought Terminal City never looked prettier.

She stood up suddenly, and turned to Max, "Wait here for a second."

********************************************************************

A few minutes later, she came back, but she wasn't alone.  Logan climbed up onto the roof with her.  Max widened her eyes as she watched them approach.

"Don't say anything." Dali told her.  Then she turned to Logan.  "Sit," she commanded.  He sat down, near Max, but not too close.

Dali sighed, not sure where to start.  She looked at Logan.  "Logan, look at this girl next to you.  She's pretty isn't she?"

"She's beautiful," he answered. Max blushed a little.

"She loves you," Dali stated.

"I don't—" Max started.

"Zip it," Dali glared at her.  "She wants to be with you.  Think about that, she picked you…out of all the guys in the world.  When she was fighting to get out of Manticore, you were the only thing on her mind.  Stop being so damn stubborn!  Your stubbornness is what got you into this mess to begin with.  Forget about just being a normal.  Max doesn't care about that.  Love sees past all that.  Don't sit and wallow in self pity.  Love means you have somebody there who'll listen when you need them to.  Take advantage of it."  She turned to Max.  "And you.  Look at this guy next to you.  He's handsome isn't he?" she said with a smile.

"He's gorgeous," Max replied.  Logan smiled.

"He loves you."

"But we're not even—," Max began again.

"—like that?" Dali finished for her.  "Yeah, I've not only heard that excuse before, I've used it.  Denial isn't just a river in Egypt, Max.  You are the only thing on his mind 24 hours a day…believe me, I've heard it.  The sooner you learn to accept and acknowledge the fact that you're in love, the easier everything will be for you.  Forget about Manticore and transgenics and White and all that other stuff.  Logan doesn't care about that.  Love sees past genetics.  Holding in your tears when you're in pain only makes it harder for both of you.  You guys, please don't make the same mistake I did.  Cherish every second.  Don't take anything for granted.  Life is too short.  Have a better one together."

Max and Logan only looked at each other, neither able to speak.  Dali reached in her pocket and pulled out a small glass vial with a clear liquid in it, and tossed it to Max, who reached out and grabbed it with one hand.  "This is the cure for that virus you've got," Both Max and Logan's eyes widened at that, but she kept talking.  "Don't ask me where I got it, or what I had to do to get it.  You might get disgusted.  Drink it, give it five minutes to go through your system, **then** jump each other's bones."  Max blushed a little, and she looked away.  "Merry Christmas, I'll see you guys…tomorrow…hopefully."  Dali descended the ladder to let them be alone.  She entered the headquarters.  Everyone looked up as she entered, but no one said anything.  She walked over to the sofa, to see Alec sitting watching television.  Dali recognized the president's daughter, once again, holding a rally; anti-transgenic/anti-Conclave.  He looked up at her as she approached him.

"Hey," he greeted her.

"Hey," she responded.  She sat down next to him.  "I gave it to them."

"You did?"

She nodded, and suddenly very tired, laid down, putting her head in Alec's lap, and swinging her legs up onto the sofa.  Softly, very softly, she could feel Alec stroking her cheek.  She closed her eyes, and drifted into a restless sleep.

************************************************************************

Max looked down at the bottle in her hand.  She took the top off, without another thought, and downed the whole thing.  She had to cover her mouth with her hand to keep from gagging and throwing the stuff up.  As far as she knew, this was the only amount of cure Dali had.  So she choked it down, and coughed a little.

Logan sat staring as Dali descended the ladder.  The concept had not yet pierced his mind that the final barrier that stood between him and the woman he loved was now coming down.  He watched Max swallow the cure, and when she began to cough, he reached for her.  But she backed away.

"She said give it 5 minutes."  Logan looked into her the dark, brown, chocolate pools that were her eyes.  Then she looked away.  _This is the longest 5 minutes of my life…_she thought to herself.

"I've got an idea," he said, and then walked to the ladder, and disappeared down it.  Max stood out in the snow alone.

_************************************************************************_

A few minutes later, he returned.

"Where'd you go?" Max asked him.

"It's a surprise," he replied with a sly smile on his face.  "Has it been 5 minutes?"

Max looked at her watch.  _3…2…1…_She looked up at him, a smile on her face, and nodded.  He walked near to her, his thoughts racing a mile a minute, and looked into her eyes.  With the snow swirling around her, and the light of the moon peeking through the clouds on her every so often, he thought she never looked more beautiful.  He sighed, and held out his hand, just as he had the last time they'd been through this.

Max took a few paces closer to Logan.  Her heart beating like a rabbit's.  As much as Manticore had prepared her for, she would never be prepared for this.  She knew Logan was a little afraid; she could smell it on him, but he still trusted her enough risk his life for her.  She closed her eyes, and took a slow breath, then she slowly raised her hand, and put it in his.  They looked into each other's eyes, waiting for something, anything, to happen.  When nothing did, Logan smiled, pulled her close, and his lips met hers, ever so softly.  Then he pulled away.

"Come on," he whispered, and led her over to the ladder.  They climbed down, and when they reached the ground, he took hold of her hand again.  Max smiled to herself, realizing that this was the first time that they'd really walked hand in hand.  He took her inside to what he called his 'temp room'.  It was the place where he slept and stayed when he had to be in Terminal City for long amounts of time.  He opened the door, and Max took note of the glow in the room created by the several lit candles that were spread all around.  He pulled her slowly into the room and closed the door behind them.

Post: Sorry guys, I don't write explicit scenes.  Rating's PG-13 and I'd be bad at it anyway.  But hey, I'm sure you all have great imaginations, so imagine away!


	14. Chapter 13: On the Road Again

Disclaimer: I have finally come to accept that I do not now, nor will I ever own Dark Angel…It took many lonely nights and several medications for withdrawal before I was able to do so. So please do not chide me for it.  I do own Justin, Dalianna, her family and all her X-siblings, but I'm more than willing to share.  If you'd like to use them, please just ask.  Thank you.

A/N: Sorry everyone, I've been neglecting my duties.  I have been so incredibly busy, that I lost my muse for awhile, it's taken a while, but I think she's slowly coming back.  Her ego's taken a huge bruise since no one reviews (hint, hint) I know you're all reading out there.  One word: Good, Bad…that's all it takes…

Chapter 13

On the Road Again

Dali was once again sitting at a table across from Dominic.  He sat smiling at her, as if he knew some secret that she wouldn't be permitted in on.  She smiled back at him, the mischievous grin on his face all too contagious.

"Are my dreams someplace that you like to randomly show up?" she asked, the smile never leaving her face.  He just shrugged.

"Are you coming to get me?" he asked.

The smile dropped from Dali's face.  "No, Shorty.  You have to stay with Aunt Brenda and Uncle Jack until it's safe."

"But it's not safe here," he whispered.

Dali knitted her eyebrows, not sure if she really wanted to ask her next question.

"How is it not safe?"

Dominic watched her with interest, and took note that though a year had passed, she still cared for him, maybe now more than ever.  So he didn't answer her question.  Split seconds later, Dali heard the familiar whirr that was a tranquilizer dart whizzing past her ear.  She whirled around.

"Idiots must not have spent a lot of time in marksmanship.  They missed me by a mile."  She turned to Dominic to tell him it was time to leave.  But instead of a smiling boy at the table, her younger brother laid out on the cold hard floor…no pulse…

************************************************************************

Dali awoke from her nightmare with a start.  She would have shot straight up in the air, had it not been for the weight of Alec's arm across hers.  Apparently, he'd fallen asleep on the couch too, probably not too keen on the idea of moving and waking Dali, even accidentally.  Her eyes sprang open, and her breath was shallow and raspy.  She noticed that beads of sweat rolled down her forehead at an alarming rate.  She lay still for a moment, contemplating on whether or not she should move and risk waking Alec.  He made the decision for her though, when she suddenly felt his arm moving.  She turned and looked up at him.

"You awake?" he asked her.  She nodded slowly, not sure if she'd be able to find her voice had she tried.  "What's wrong?" he asked, finally noticing that she was shaking.

"I have to find Max."

"Why? What happened?"  Dali didn't answer, but instead got up off the couch and headed for Logan's room.  _I hope I'm not interrupting anything…_

Minutes later, she stood outside Logan's door.  She knocked twice softly, but got no answer.  Putting her ear close to the door, she listened.  All she could hear was soft breathing, and two resting heartbeats.  _They must be asleep._  The knob was cold on her hand as she slowly turned it to open the door.  She slipped into the room.  The first thing she noticed was the soft glow emanating from the small melting candles that were set all around the room.  The second thing she noticed was the warm smell of vanilla floating in the air…vanilla and cherries, mixed with something else she decided not to wonder about.  Both Max and Logan were deeply asleep on the bed in a tangle of sheets, limbs and rose petals.  Dali smiled and picked up one of the rose petals off the floor.  Justin had given her a rose once on Valentine's Day.  She pulled herself out of her thoughts, and walked over to the side of the bed.

"Max?" she whispered.  No answer.  "Max?"  She reached out to touch her shoulder.  Max's eyes flew open, and she snatched Dali's wrist in her hand and twisted it.  "Chill!  It's just me!"  It took Max a few seconds before she realized who it was.  She let go of the young girl's wrist, and pulled the sheets closer.

"Dali?! What are you doing here?" she hissed.  Having felt Max's head leave his shoulder, Logan shifted a little, slowly leaving his dreams behind for the real world.  He sat up.

"What? Who is it?" he mumbled incoherently.

"It's ok, Logan," Max told him. "Go back to sleep."  But instead, he opened his eyes fully, and looked up at their visitor.

"Hi Dali," he smiled sleepily.

"Hi Logan," she smiled back, "have fun last night?"  Logan looked away while his cheeks flushed red, as did Max's.

"Thanks Dali, Merry Christmas to you too."

"Dali, what could be so important that it couldn't wait until we were dressed?" Max asked.

"We have to leave Max, we have to go now." Max's expression clearly portrayed her confusion.

"What are you talking about?"

"I have to go see my brother, something's wrong."

"What brother?"

"Dominic, remember?  He's in Michigan, we have to get him, he said it's not safe there."

"When did you talk to him?"

Dali hesitated.  "He was in my dream."

"Your dream?!  You woke me up so you can drag me halfway across the country for a dream?!"

"Please Max," she pleaded.  "Something's wrong.  I know it is."  The anger left Max's eyes, replaced by sympathy.

She sighed. "Ok, just give me a few minutes."  Dali nodded, and left the room, closing the door softly behind her.  Max sighed again, placing her palm against her forehead and falling back against the pillows.

"Are you really going to drive her all the way to Michigan for a dream?" Logan's voice broke her thoughts.  She opened her eyes.  She'd almost forgotten he was there.

"Logan, you saw the look on her face.  If she says something's wrong, something's wrong, and if it were one of my brothers or sisters, I can't say I wouldn't do the same.  I trust her, besides she's never been wrong before."

"Ok, but Michigan is so far from here…" his voice trailed off, as he reached over to run his thumb across her cheek.

"I know, but it's only 2,286.21 miles east of here give or take a mile, we should be back in a few days," she reassured him.  She found herself lost in his eyes.  The electric blue pulling her in like a magnetic beam.  Slowly, she leaned forward, her lips begging to touch his own.  A knock sounded on the door.

"Max! Come on! My clothes are going out of style!" came a familiar voice.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Max answered her, climbing out of bed, pulling on Logan's oversized t-shirt from the floor and making her way towards the bathroom.

************************************************************************

A knock resounded on the door as Dali was shoving clothes into a backpack.  _Oh, who the hell is it?_  "Come in!"

The door swung open and Alec strolled in, a cocky smile on his face, and closed the door behind him.

"So looks like Max and Logan finally did 'get hot and heavy'.  At least _somebody's_ getting some action around here."

Dali rolled her eyes, but didn't answer, and instead zipped her bag shut and sat on the bed, staring out the window to the clouds above.  Alec sat next to her.

"Hey, you never did tell me what happened…" he trailed off, leaving room for her to answer, but she didn't.  "Look, I know something's wrong.  Maybe if you tell me, I can help you.  I can—"

Dali cut him off. "No, you can't Alec.  No one can.  Look at me.  I'm a freak."

"You're not a freak," he whispered.  He reached up and brushed a finger down her cheek.  She looked over into his eyes.  Seeing something there that she'd never seen before, and she really didn't know how to react.  The feeling flowed through her like electricity, and she lost herself in his eyes.  Before she knew what was happening, his lips were on hers, gently at first, lovingly.  Then more furious, as though all the time that had passed in anticipation for this moment needed to be made up for.  Her hands went to his face as his trailed down her back, sending a shiver through her spine.  Both of them were far too busy to see the figure standing in the doorway.

"You two going for the Longest Held Breath world record or something? Cuz you're almost there," Max said to them, one of her eyebrow's raised in surprise, looking down at her watch.  Dali and Alec pulled apart, each of them glaring at her with intensity.

"Thanks for showing up Max," Alec replied.

Dali stood.  "Can we go please?"  Without waiting for a response, she slung her backpack over her shoulder.

"Whenever you and loverboy can pull yourselves apart," Max shrugged at her.  Dali turned back to Alec, and leaned down to give him a quick kiss.

"Hold that thought," she murmured afterwards.  "I'm going to get the kid, I'll be back in a few days.  Hold down the fort please."  With that she turned and left, not bothering to stop and answer Alec's "what kid?"

Max started her Ninja, and revved the engine as Dali climbed on behind her.  "Ok," Max sighed, "Destination?"

"Wacousta, Michigan.  It's just outside Lansing."

"Estimated time of arrival?"  Dali looked at her watch, surprised that it was only around 9am.

"7:06 pm tomorrow…if we don't stop too much."

"Ok, let's hit it."

Dali hung tight as Max's bike roared through the night and off towards Michigan.  Max took note that she was so distracted, she didn't even bother to ask if she could drive.

************************************************************************

_Dali sat on the arm of the couch, drawn to the television, not hearing the young boy sneaking up behind her, until he had launched himself at her, and flattened her on the ground.  She struggled to get from under him, but he planted himself on her chest._

_"Freeze scum!" he shouted, shoving a fake badge and toy gun  in front of her face. "See this? NYPD! That means I will Knock Your Punk-ass Down!"_

_Dali couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Ok, Shorty.  First of all, if mom hears you talking like that, **your **punk ass will be standing in the corner for two hours with a bar of soap in your mouth." She finally managed to push him off her to the floor.  _Damn, he's strong for a five-year-old,_ she thought to herself.  "Second of all, the New York Police Department is **in **_**_New York_**_, we live in __Wyoming__.  How many times have I told you about watching that Men in Black without parental consent?"_

_Dominic looked up at her with a grin on his face.  "Mom did consent.  She just doesn't know it yet."  Dali raised an eyebrow at him, and his face sobered.  "You're not gonna tell are you?"_

_Dali smiled and knelt at his feet, holding out her palm until he matched hers with his tiny one.  "Angels in heaven, up above…"_

_"Are looking down on me with love," he smiled back, and threw his arms around his sister.  "We're always gonna be together right Doll?"_

_She smiled and hugged him back.  "You couldn't get rid of me if you tried."_

A tear swept down Dali's cheek as she snapped out of the memory.  She held her breath to choke back a sob.  Max glanced back at her for a second before putting her eyes back on the road.

"Are you ok?" she shouted back to her.

"I'm fine," Dali replied after taking a deep breath.

Max's old Jam Pony pass got them through the sector checkpoints, and after awhile, they passed a big sign saying "Welcome to Idaho".

_Dali looked at the candles on her birthday cake.  They had already been blown out.  Everyone had eaten and were just sitting around making conversation.  Dominic got up and whispered something to his mother, who nodded and went over to the radio.  Dominic approached Dali._

_"Hey Dali, I got one more present for you."_

_"You do?" she asked, thoroughly surprised.  "What is it?"  He just smiled at her, and nodded to their mother.  She hit the button, and music filled the room._

_Dali knitted her eyebrows. "We're going to play Name that Tune?  Wait, I know… 'Incomplete' by Sisquo."  Dominic only smiled at her again, and using the remote control as his mike, began to sing his own version._

**_Kept my secrets, took me to the park_**

**_Everything in this world a kid brother wants_**

**_Got a heart of gold bigger than I understand_**

**_Oh yes you do_**

**_Every time I let you down it never bothered you_**

**_You kept me safe from everything bad I could ever do_**

**_Gave me good advice on girls,_**

**_Gave me blue lollipops with colored swirls_**

****

**_Even though it seems I have everything,_**

**_I don't wanna be an only child_**

**_All the Nintendo games, all of the rollerblades,_**

**_All of the snow cones couldn't make me smile_**

**_I can make believe I have everything_**

**_But I can't pretend that I don't see_**

**_That without you Doll, my life is incomplete_**

**_Yeah, without you Doll…._**

****

_Dominic walked over to her, and took one of her hands in his, swinging it back and forth.  A tear slid down her cheek, and he reached up to wipe it away._

**_You put up with my scams and scowls_**

**_If I could take it back then I would change it all right now_**

**_All I ever wanted was to see your happiness_**

**_Hope you have it right now_**

**_It's been nine years, hope that you will never leave_**

**_Cuz_****_ you're such a crucial part of our family_**

**_I love you, wipe your tears_**

**_Because I know you don't have no fears_**

****

**_Even though it seems I have everything,_**

**_I don't wanna be an only child_**

**_All the Nintendo games, all of the rollerblades,_**

**_All of the snow cones couldn't make me smile_**

**_I can make believe I have everything_**

**_But I can't pretend that I don't see_**

**_That without you Doll, my life is incomplete_**

**_Yeah, without you Doll…._**

****

**_I just can't stop thanking you_**

**_For everything you've done_**

**_Could you smile at me, cuz your smile is just_**

**_Like the sun…like the sun_**

****

**_Even though it seems I have everything,_**

**_I don't wanna be an only child_**

**_All the Nintendo games, all of the rollerblades,_**

**_All of the snow cones couldn't make me smile_**

**_I can make believe I have everything_**

**_But I can't pretend that I don't see_**

**_That without you Doll, my life is incomplete_**

**_Even though it seems I have everything,_**

**_I don't wanna be an only child_**

**_All the Mack Daddy clothes, all of the Timberlands,_**

**_All of the fake ice couldn't make me smile_**

**_I can make believe I have everything_**

**_But I can't pretend that I don't see_**

**_That without you Doll, my life is incomplete_**

**_Yeah, without you Doll…._**

**_My life, my life is incomplete,_**

**_Without you Doll, my life is incomplete_**__

_Dominic threw his arms around Dali.  "I love you Dali.  Happy Birthday."  She couldn't do anything, but cry…_

Dali blinked her eyes to clear the memories…and the tears.  The ride continued on until nightfall.

"You wanna stop?" Max called back.

"Just for food," Dali shouted up to her.  "Neither of us needs sleep, and we can cover a lot more ground if we keep going."  Max nodded her approval, and they stopped at the next rest stop they saw, Julian's Diner.  When they entered, every head turned to look at them.  Most of the guys raised their eyebrows, or whistled, but the girls ignored them, and took a seat on the barstools at the counter.  They ordered dinner and sat eating in silence.  Then Max looked over at Dali.

"You've been pretty quiet the whole ride.  You wanna talk about it?"

Dali glanced over at her.  "No," she replied simply.

Max nodded and turned back to her dinner.  A man sauntered up to them.  "Hello ladies, the name's—"

"Not interested," Max and Dali replied at the same time.  He raised an eyebrow and walked away.  They stood, paid for the dinner and left.  Upon leaving, they found the man they had both rejected toying with Max's bike.

"See, I really didn't want to have to kick anybody's ass today, but I don't see how I can't."  She strolled over to him, took him by the back of his jacket, and slammed him into the stone wall side of the building.  "Get your own!" she growled into his face.  His eyes widened, and he took off when she released him.  They continued their journey.

**********************************************************************

They didn't stop again, until they were in front of Dali's Aunt Brenda's house.  The house was small and white, but was covered in a layer of dust, as if someone had kicked dirt on it.  Dali remembered coming here when she was younger, riding the horses on the ranch.  Brenda and Jack had welcomed both kids into their home every time they came to visit.  A warm cookie, and a cup of lemonade, or hot chocolate was always waiting for them upon arrival.  It was only after Dali had told her Aunt Brenda that she was transgenic did she begin to sing a different tune.

Dali and Justin had only stopped to drop off Dominic, but when they did leave, Dali felt that Brenda was colder to her than she'd ever been.  She shrugged it off as nerves, and left never looking back.  Now, she hoped that it really had just been nerves and stress, and that Brenda was the same caring, loving woman she'd always been.  They strolled up the sidewalk to the front door, and Dali knocked twice.

"I'm coming!" a voice called from the inside.  The door swung open, and Brenda stood looking out at the two girls, the big smile that had been on her face melted.  "Yes?" she asked them calmly but coolly, "how can I help you?"

"Is Shorty here?" Dali asked expectantly.

"Who?"

"Dominic, is he here?"

"Oh.  Yes, of course he's here.  This is where you left him, isn't it?"

Max raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.  Dali sighed and closed her eyes.  "Can I see him please?"

"What for?  You dropped him off and left him here.  The boy was traumatized.  He lost his entire family in one day.  His parents' dead bodies riddled with bullets lying in the dining room floor.  Dead by your hand.  It was **your** fault that they were killed.  And what did you do?  You left him here, and went off gallivanting with that boy-toy of yours.  Where is he anyway?  Did he finally come to his senses and see that you were nothing but trouble?"

"Look I need to see him, I need to make sure he's ok."

"What?  Don't you trust me to take care of the boy?  If you didn't, then why did you bring him here?"

"Please? I just need to—"

"Get off my property before I call the police."

Dali grew angry at that.  "He's my brother!  I have a **right** to see him."

"He's not your brother!  You're not even human, just some mistake that the government cooked up in a laboratory!  You don't have **any rights**!  **I** take care of him now, and if I ever see you anywhere around here again, I will call the police to come haul your alien behind to jail where all of you freaks belong!"

A tear slid down Dali's cheek, and it took Max holding her back to keep her from launching herself at the older woman.

"Aunt Brenda?" came a young voice from behind her.  "Who's at the door?"

"It's no one sweetie," she turned to face him blocking Dali from his view.  "Why don't you go ahead upstairs and wash up for dinner."

"Ok," Dominic replied.  His footsteps up the stairs could be heard through the doorway.

"Shorty?" Dali squeaked, too low for him to here her.

Brenda's head poked through the door as she began to close it, and she spoke through clenched teeth.  "I never want to see you around here again!"  With that, she slammed the door in the young girl's face.

"Damn," Max opened her mouth for the first time since the door had opened.  "I wouldn't **want** to be related to her."  Dali didn't say anything at first, wiping the tear from her face, she stood stonily, regarding everything that had just happened.  Then she glanced across the street at a small hill.

"Park the bike down the street," she said in a low voice.  "I've got an idea."

************************************************************************

Both girls lay flat on their stomachs at the top of the hill, in the soft cool snow that covered Michigan ground.  Dali had binoculars to her eyes, and was keeping a sharp eye on the house.  Max clutched her jacket to her sides.

"It's _freezing_ out here!"

Dali looked over at her.  "That my dear is why they call it winter."  She resumed looking out the binoculars.

"How can you not be cold?"

"Mind over matter," she replied, never taking her eyes from the house.  "Keep your eye on the objective, ignore the environment."

"But we've been out here for almost 5 hours!"

"Polar bear in my cocktail."

"Oh, of course."  Max trained her eyes on the house, another realization hitting her.  "Uh, you do realize that you could see farther with your naked eye than those binoculars ever could."

"Yeah," Dali shrugged, "but they complete the ensemble."

"You're wearing jeans and leather."

"Exactly."  They watched in silence for a few more seconds.  "Bingo!" Dali called softly.  "She turned off the light in her bedroom.  The coast is clear.  Let's go."

Post: Hey guys, since I deprived you all for so long, I'm going to posting the next chapter again in just a few days.  That's right, I'm gonna work extra hard over the next couple days to get it out.  Keep that in mind…


	15. Chapter 14: Oh, Brother

Disclaimer: I have finally come to accept that I do not now, nor will I ever own Dark Angel…It took many lonely nights and several medications for withdrawal before I was able to do so. So please do not chide me for it.  I do own Justin, Dalianna, her family and all her X-siblings, but I'm more than willing to share.  If you'd like to use them, please just ask.  Thank you.

A/N: Hey guys! Thanks a million and one for the reviews.  I would especially like to thank Beth (All Grown Up) for letting me know that setting was on.  I had no clue!  First fanfic and all…so I'm pretty good at computers, I think I can figure out how to fix it.  If it's not fixed by the time the next chapter is posted, can somebody leave me a hint as to how to do it?  Thanks again.

Many thanks and Muchas gracias:

All Grown Up; Huntress k; M/L Only; Winking Tiger; Sha-Sha64; agmgdafan; barcode-babe-210; Dark Nternal; darkangel-relly; Katriona and ringo-gurl07

You guys are the best!

Chapter 14

Oh Brother…

Max and Dali crept down the hill across the street to the side of the house.  They walked the perimeter, checking to make sure that the house was still and silent, and then returned to their original position under the side windows.  Dali glanced up at the three windows on the second story.

"Which one is his?" Max whispered to her.

"I don't know," Dali replied.

"What do you mean you don't know?  Weren't you just watching your Aunt Bitch—I mean Brenda—with the lights?"

Dali couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips at Max's not-so-innocent slip-up.  "Yeah, but that was from the front.  I couldn't tell what light was on, I just knew there was one on, and she turned it off."

"So how do we figure this out?"

Dali looked around, as if trying to find something, and then looked up at the windows.

"Kneel down," she commanded.

"What?"

"Kneel down."  Max did so, but not before giving Dali a wary look.  The young transgenic gave a tiny hop and landed on Max's shoulders with great precision.  She stood balancing.

"You're heavier than you look," Max grunted trying desperately to climb to her feet.

Dali stomped on her right shoulder.  "It's muscles mass," she replied defiantly.  "Now get me closer to the window so I can take a peek."

"You're gonna be takin more than a peek if you do that again," Max muttered under her breath.  But she edged right up to the side of the house, and Dali pulled herself up until her face could see through the window.

"Nope, not it.  Must be a guestroom.  Next one."  Max sighed, and sidestepped a few feet to get to the next window.  Dali was silent for a few moments.

_What the hell is taking so long?_ Max thought.  "Well?" she insisted, staggering a little.

"It's him," Dali whispered, glad Max couldn't see the tears that had gathered in her eyes.  "He's here, and he's ok."

"Well, let's go get him then."

"It's not that easy," Dali replied hopping down, and landing gracefully on her feet.  She sighed before continuing.  "I've been having an attack of conscience the entire way here.  I can't just pull him out of here based on a dream.  As fickle as my aunt is, she's right.  She _is_ taking care of Dominic now.  And I can't just come and pull him away from the life he's made here, and bring him to an unfamiliar place with people he doesn't know, where he's in danger all the time.  I just can't.  It wouldn't be fair."  She looked away.

"But he won't be in danger.  We'll be there taking care of him.  You, me, Logan…and Alec," she said rolling her eyes.  "Well, at least if you ask him he will.  Something told you to come here.  You wouldn't have had me drive clear across the country _just_ for a one-time bad feeling.  There's something else isn't there?"

Dali glanced over at her unsurely.  "That's the second time I've had the dream.  And it was the same kind of dream I had about Justin the night he was killed.  I ignored it then, and look where it got me?  I just couldn't ignore this one."

"Well, why didn't you say something the first time?" she asked impatiently.

Dali shrugged.  "It happened when I fell asleep in the hospital closet with Alec." Max raised her eyebrows at that.  "It's a long story.  Anyways, we barely escaped White with our necks, and after that, I guess I just forgot about it with everything that was going on around Terminal City.  In any case, the point is…"

"Yeah?"

Dali sighed again, "The point is, we have to talk to him.  He'll know if something's wrong, and if there is, then we can take him.  If not, well…we'll figure it out then."

"Ok, well, how are we going to get in the house?" Max asked her.

Dali pulled out a long metal tool that Max thought looked much like her old lock picker.  "Got that taken care of."  They both slipped into stealth mode, creeping along the side of the house, staying in the shadows until they reached the front door.

"I already don't like this," Max whispered.

"Why?" Dali asked.  "We slip in, we talk to him, we slip out.  We'll be in there for ten minutes at the most."

Max shook her head.  "I just have a bad feeling.  Let's hurry up so we can get out of here."

Dali slipped the lock pick into the metal lock on the door, and jimmied it for a few seconds before they heard a click and the door opened.  They both snuck in, and closed the door softly behind them.  Inside, the darkness didn't affect their eyesight, and they moved quickly and quietly.  The first room they found themselves in was the living room.  The walls were layered with flowery wallpaper, which peeled in several places over the years and donned pictures of the family throughout the ages.  To the left of the living room was an old wooden staircase that led upstairs.  Max followed Dali's lead, as she slithered slowly up the stairs.  They were almost to the top when Max hit a creaky stair, and a loud groan filled the house.  The noise would have been imperceptible to the normal ear, but the still silence and the dark of the house seemed to augment the disturbance.  Almost immediately, a door opened, and light flooded the upstairs hallway.

"Who's there?" came a loud male voice.  A middle-aged man with dark brown hair with traces of silver at the ears, and dressed in gray cotton pajamas stepped out into the hallway.

Dali and Max ducked into a doorway that ended up being the guest bedroom.  They plastered themselves against the wall.  The man stole out into the hallway, taking each step slowly, and looking around carefully.  He walked right by Max and Dali's hiding space, albeit slowly.

_I'm **really, really** sorry Uncle Jack,_Dali thought, before leaping out behind him, and putting him in a sleeper hold.  A few seconds later, he was out on the floor.  Dali and Max lifted him quietly and put him on the bed in the guestroom.  _Aunt Brenda may have been a mean, evil, cruel cold-hearted witch, but Uncle Jack was never that way.  Another reason I hate myself for having even dragged them into this…_Quickly, they crossed the hall, and opened Dominic's bedroom door.  After Max had followed her in, Dali closed the door behind her.  They crossed over to the bed, looking at the lump under the blankets.

"Shorty?" Dali hissed, "Shorty, wake up, it's me."  She reached out and pulled back the blankets, only to find a bunch of rolled up sheets and pillows.  She backed up a step; a clear look of confusion crossed her face.

A split second later, she felt, rather than saw, Max fall beside her.  Then she felt a blow against her back and she fell to the floor.  A small, but strong hand pulled her shoulder to turn her over.  Dali opened her eyes and through her blurred vision saw her little brother staring down at her.  She sat up suddenly, causing a wave of dizziness to wash over her.

"Shorty?! What the hell are you doing?"

A look of realization and recognition crossed the young boy's face.  "Dali?" he whispered.  He threw his arms around her neck, causing her to fall back on the floor.

"Ow! Careful!" she hissed, tears filling her eyes, and not just from the bump on her head.  "What are you doing here?" he asked her.

"I came to check up on you," she answered, rubbing the back of her head.  "What did you hit me with anyway?"

"Oh, that…" he smiled sheepishly and held up a tennis racket.

"You hit me over the head with your tennis racket?!"

He grinned and shrugged at her.  Max stirred on the floor, and slowly stood up, also rubbing the back of her head.

"Dali, what the hell was that?"  Dominic looked over, as if seeing her for the first time, and smiled slyly.

"Hi," he said sliding over to her, and hooking his arm around her waist.  "My name is Dominic, but my friends call me Shorty, Dom, Nick and just about anything else that comes to mind.  What would you like to call me?" he said wiggling his eyebrows at her.

She almost laughed, if it hadn't been for the bump on her head, and raised an eyebrow at Dali.

"Once a playa, always a playa," Dali muttered, "Max, this is my lil brother, Shorty.  Shorty, this is Max."

"Well hi there, Max," he said, smiling up at her, never taking his arm from her waist.

"Hiya, cutie," she replied with a smile of her own, before resting her arm on his shoulders.

"Uh, Shorty, isn't there something you would like to say to Max?" she inquired.

He looked up at her with confusion.  _About…?_ he thought.

_"The tennis racket, you dolt!"_ Dali's mind screamed at him.  He had grown accustomed to Dali's voice entering his mind.  She had been doing it for years, only at close proximity of course, but for him, it was normal.  Just something else he had to grow up with.  "Oh, yeah," he smiled, and looked down at the floor.  "Sorry about the tennis racket."

Max tousled his hair, and let him know that it was ok.  Dali and Dominic sat on the bed, and Max perched herself backwards on Dominic's desk chair.

"So how are you?" Dali asked her little brother.

"I'm ok, I guess."

"You guess?" she prompted.

"Well, it's ok here.  I like my school, the kids are ok…the teachers are ok…the food is ok…the work is—"

"Let me guess," Dali cut him off, "ok?"

He smiled and nodded.  Then the smile left his face.  "But it's not the same without you…or Mom and Dad."  A little tear dropped from his eye, and he brushed it away angrily, embarrassed at having let himself become so emotional.  He stood up and turned to smile at her.  "But you know how it is, I'm dealin.  And the ladies just can't seem to keep their hands off me."

Dali and Max both couldn't help but laugh at that.  "I'll bet they can't," Dali replied.  "Especially with you being so **tall** and all," she added with extra emphasis on the 'tall'.

"Hey," he said, acting offended, "was that a short joke?"

"Why, did it go over your head?" Dali joked.

Max laughed.  She had never seen Dali as happy and carefree as she looked right then.

"You know I'm just playin with you," she told him, as she pulled him over to sit with her on the bed.  "So Dom, has anything strange been happening around here?"

A dark look passed over his face.  "You dreamed about me didn't you?"

Max widened her eyes in surprise.  "How did you know?" she asked before Dali could even begin denying it.

"Because I did it purposely," he replied.  "I made myself go into Dali's dreams."

"Why?" Dali questioned, not even bothering to try to understand how he could.

"To let you know what's going on.  Is anything strange happening around here, you ask?  Well, it seemed like nothing at first, but strange men have been coming to the house."

"Strange men?" Max wondered.  "Strange how?"

"I don't know.  They look like they could be policemen.  Not sector policemen, they don't wear those kind of uniforms.  But maybe detectives or something, and they're always talking to Aunt Brenda."

"About what?" Dali inquired.

"I don't know.  I could only hear snippets of the conversation.  But that's not all.  She's also been talking on the phone to this same guy."

"How do you know it's the same guy?" Max asked.

"Because I can hear them," he answered slowly, as if explaining a simple idea to a young child.  "But I don't know what they talk about either.  I've heard snippets of conversation, but it never makes any sense.  They're always talking in code."

Dali knitted her eyebrows together.  "Ok, Dom, this is really important, can you remember anything you heard?  Anything at all?"

He looked towards the ceiling, seemingly thinking hard.  "Well, every time they talk, they don't say goodbye, instead they say 'Fe'nos tol'." Max and Dali caught each other's eyes.  "And last time," he continued, "they said something about making a pickup.  And some numbers…452 and 927?  What does that mean?"

A feeling of dread passed through Dali like a bolt of electricity, and her breath caught in her throat making it hard for her to breathe.  _White's on his way here._  Before the thought could even register with her, she heard an icy voice behind her.

"It means you're in very big trouble young man," White said evenly to the young boy.  Dali whipped around to look him in the face, his cold gaze causing a shiver to run down her spine, but she kept her cool.

"Oh, no, here we go again," she said in a bored voice.  She turned and peeked behind him to the TAC team officers at his side.  "Are one of you gonna use those guns on me, because if I have to sit here and listen to one more second of his condescending, patronizing, dictatorial, egomaniacal bullcrap, I'm gonna have to use it on myself."

White looked as though he might want to say something, but Dali's Aunt Brenda showed up at his side suddenly.  He smiled at her.  "The Kormans have always been a priceless benefit to the Conclave.  Sister Brenda…I believe you have earned that long overdue promotion." Brenda simply smiled at him and nodded.

Dali's thoughts were racing through her head faster than NASCAR at the Indy 500.  _Wait, Kormans!  Does that mean my family has been involved with the Conclave the entire time?  Were my parents?  But what does that mean?  Did they always know about me?  Why would they keep me?_

"Of course they always knew, foolish girl," her aunt's voice broke into her thoughts.  "Mind-reading has been bred in our family's line for hundreds of years.  They knew from the moment Mark saw you, and they kept you anyway.  They ran from the Conclave, the cowards that they were. They denied their destiny, their future…our future.  They wasted all their time on you."

Dali could do nothing but shake her head, in surprise.  Max who had been silent the entire time stood, preparing to launch herself at White.

"Ah, ah, ah," he said, grabbing Dominic's arm.  "Do it, and the boy dies a happy death knowing that yours is the last face he'll ever see."  Max stood stonily for a second, before sitting back down.  Brenda went to grab for Dominic.

"It's ok, Brother White.  I'll take care of the boy," she offered.

He turned toward her.  "You wouldn't be starting to develop feelings for him now would you?"  She looked up at him in honest surprise.  "We agreed, the boy is expendable.  Nothing is worth the price of having 452 and 927 in my possession."  She looked a little skeptical, but in the end, nodded quickly without further question.  "Brenda, your vacation is here at last," White announce to her.

She looked at him confused.  "Vacation?" she wondered.  The next thing any of them knew, she was laid out on the ground with a dart in the side of her neck.  White turned back to Dali and Max.  He took one of the small tranquilizer pistols from the holster of one of the TAC officers next to him, and raised it at Dali.  "Say good-night, 927."

"NO!" Dominic's voice cut in, and the distraction was all Max needed to blur into him, the force knocking him into the two officers behind him.  The guns went off, pelting 2 darts into White's neck.  He stood up and pulled them out angrily.  The pain of the two darts not affecting him, but the sluggishness from the medicine inside them quickly overtaking his body.  He took one step slowly, and then another before falling to his knees, and finally face down on the floor.  The two TAC team officers stood up quickly, struggling to reload their guns.  Max and Dali quickly rendered them unconscious before turning back to Dominic.

"Do I have to say 'I told you so'?" Dali asked Max.  Max didn't answer her, but instead grabbed Dominic's backpack and told him to quickly pack some stuff, which he did, and then she swooped him up, backpack and all, and opened the window, before jumping out of it, and landing in the soft snow below.  They stood up, brushing off flakes, and Dali landed on her feet beside them.  "Let's blaze," she said quickly, and all three of them took off down the street towards Max's bike.

Post: Hey guys, thanks again for reviewing, I'm gonna try to fix it so that anyone who wants to can leave a review.  Thanks again

Angie731


	16. Chapter 15:Homeward Bound

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the shows ideas, characters etc. etc. etc.  I've had rich and famous people try to convince me of otherwise, but what do they know?  I do, however, own Dali, Dominic, Justin, Dali's family and X-siblings, but sharing is caring, and I care to share…after you ask that is.

Time-frame: post-Freak Nation

A/N: Hi everybody (Hi Dr. Nick!) Ok.  First, I want to say, thank you all you lovely reviewers.  You definitely helped; I've changed the settings for the anonymous reviews, so if you wanna review anonymously, knock yourself out.  Here's the 15th installment, no charge.  Read at your leisure, review at your leisure…keeping in mind the whole time that the more reviews I get, the faster I write (evil laughter ensues…) Enjoy.

Chapter 15

Homeward Bound

They headed off down the street, Max and Dali in front, Dominic hanging a little farther behind, but running very fast nonetheless.  Dali glimpsed back at him.

"Put the speed on, lil brother, we're running for our lives here."  The next thing she knew, he had passed her, and threw himself at Max's bike.

"Can I drive?" he asked breathlessly.

"Hell No!" Max and Dali answered simultaneously.  Max would have thought the situation funny, if not under the circumstances.

"Wait," he asked.  "How are we all gonna fit?"

"We're not," Dali responded sarcastically, "I was thinking apparently, you're faster than either of us.  You should just run alongside."

Dominic rolled his eyes.

"Now is not the time people!" Max interrupted them.  "White's on our tail.  We've got to put some road between him and us, and I'm thinking now would be good."  She hopped on the front of the bike.  Dali picked her brother up by the arms and sat him behind her.  Then she squeezed on behind him.

"Not that I'm complaining or anything," Dominic grunted, "but I can't breathe."

"Pass out," Dali snapped at him, "then at least you won't feel it."

"Just hold on!" Max yelled back at them.  The bike started, just as they could see some TAC team officers hurrying down the street towards them, and Max roared off into the night.

************************************************************************

To Dominic, it seemed like forever since they had left his home, before they stopped, just inside the Illinois border.  The sun was beginning to rise over the horizon, and Dominic looked around at the diner they had stopped at.  There were only 2 other cars and another motorcycle there.  Probably other people traveling like themselves.  Dali ushered the boy inside.

"Hurry up, munchkin, we may not be stopping again for awhile, so eat, have your fill, take a leak, and we're getting on the road."  Dominic sighed and led them over to a booth, and slid inside.  Dali began to sit down.

"I want to sit next to Max," Dominic glared at her.  "_She_ likes me."

Dali huffed, but then said, "Fine, I have to go to the little ladies room anyway."  Max just shook her head, and slid in next to the young boy.  Dali headed off towards the women's room.  She came out a few minutes later, only to bump into a guy who was heading towards the men's room.  His keys fell to the ground, and Dali bent over to pick them up and hand them back to him.  As their hands touched, she took a good look at him.  He was young, probably in his early twenties, dark brown hair, mysterious eyes…he reminded her very much of Alec…and Justin.

"Sorry," she whispered, gazing into his eyes intensely, never removing her hand from his.

"It's ok," he whispered back, taking his hand from hers.  "Just watch where you're going next time."  He stalked off towards the lavatory.  Dali watched after him, shocked.  _How rude!_  Then she smiled to herself and went back to the table.

"What are you smiling about?" Max asked her.  She just shook her head, and sat down.  They ordered, and the food came.  Dali made Dominic go to the bathroom, even though he swore up and down that he didn't have to.  They paid, and left, stepping through the door out into the bright sunlight, and brisk Illinois winter air.  Dali took a deep breath and smiled again.

"And I ask again, what's with the Cheshire cat grin?" Max looked over at Dali.  This time, Dali reached in her pocket, and pulled out a single key on a chain.  "What's that?" Max wondered.

"The car key from the cute-but-clueless guy back in the diner."

"You didn't…" Max started.  "Tell me you didn't…"

"Oh, but I did.  He was being rude, and I figured the least he could do was give us a ride."

"You mean give us _his_ ride," Dominic, who'd been listening to the whole conversation, exclaimed.  "Dalianna Lichelle Korman!  That is grand theft auto!  We could get life in prison!"

Max raised an eyebrow furtively at Dali.  "Lichelle?" she grinned.

"Shut up Max," Dali responded.  "And you too Dom.  We won't go to jail if we don't get caught.  And we're gonna get caught if you keep posting the news to everybody within a mile hearing distance."

Dominic sighed and looked away, but didn't say anything else.  If nothing else, he knew his parents had taught Dali better than to steal, especially cars.  And she picked up on his line of thinking right away, and knelt down in front of him.  "Look, we are running for our lives.  I've been at this a lot longer than you.  Trust me.  When we get back to Seattle, I'll see if I can get Logan to find a way to get the bike back here, without causing too much suspicion.  Ok?"

Dominic shrugged.  "Whatever.  Who's Logan?"

"No wonder you got busted by Manticore so many times Dali," Max interrupted them again, "you guys move slower than a snail on crack.  Let's move!"

"Which car is his?" Dominic asked.  Dali looked around, and her eyes landed on the motorcycle sitting a few feet away.

"Ten bucks says it's that one," she replied with a cunning grin on her face.  She sauntered over to it as if she owned it, sat down, and turned the key in the ignition.  The bike roared to life.  "And behind door number 1…," she smiled at them.

"I'm riding with Max," Dominic said, and without giving either of them the chance to protest, he ran over to her bike, and swung a leg over it.  "Come on, let's go!"  Max gave Dali one last wary look.

"Just keep up with me."

"Don't worry about me," Dali replied, revving the engine.  "Maybe _you_ should try keeping up with _me_."

Max approached her bike, and turned it on, pulling out of the parking lot.  Dali took one last look back at the diner, as the owner of the bike came running out of the door.

"Thanks for the ride," she yelled, blowing him a kiss.  Then she pealed off after Max.  The guy could do nothing but stand there and shout into the emptiness.

************************************************************************

They rode on throughout the day.  Stopping again in Iowa so Dominic could use the bathroom, and get a quick snack; and then again for gas at a truck that was selling further down the road.  The ride for Dali this time was less stressful.  Sure, they had a crazed psycho whack-job looking out to kill them, but at least her brother was safe…for the time being anyway.  The wind rippled through her hair, as she concentrated on the road in front of her.  She knew better than to daydream while behind the wheel.  Years ago, she'd almost caused an accident, when in the car with Justin teaching her how to back up.  She'd spaced, and nearly hit a tree.  He never let her live it down.

The drive continued, on through South Dakota, and into Montana.  The sun was beginning to set low in the sky, and Dali signaled to Max that she thought they should stop soon so Dominic could get some sleep.  Max nodded, and just as they crossed the Idaho border, she pointed out a small lone Motel sitting on the side of the road.  Unsurprisingly enough, they were the only patrons there.  They strode up to the service desk of the small office at the end of the building, and rung the bell.  A young nerdy looking guy emerged from a side door.

"Can I help you?" he asked in a bored nasal voice, before seeing who was there.  When he finally did catch a glimpse of Max and Dali, his breath caught in his throat, and he pulled out an inhaler and took a few puffs before calming down.  "Sorry, how can I help you ladies," he asked again in a voice only slightly less nasal than before.

"We need a room," Max replied.

"Sure thing," he answered, and turned behind him to pull a key off the rack.  "Sign in the book here," he shoved a book towards them.  He then approached the front of the counter.  "Allow me to show you to your room," he said, placing a hand on Dali's shoulder and gripping a little too tightly for her liking.  Max raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't say anything.  Dominic on the other hand, couldn't contain himself.

"Hey!" he shouted up at the desk clerk, who looked down, seeing the boy for the first time.  Dominic reached up and with surprising strength, pulled the clerk down to his level by the collar of his shirt.  "You tryin to cop a feel on my sister?"  The clerk's eyes grew wide as he quickly shook his head.

"No, sir," he sputtered.

"Good!" Dominic spat back at him, tightening the grip on his collar. "Now give me my damn key and get outta my sight."  Max could barely hold in her laughter as the clerk fumbled for the key in his pocket, and held it out to the young boy, who snatched it from him.  _Like brother, like sister._

"Room 121.  Last room on the left."

 Dominic eyed him.  "Thank you," his voice returning to normal.  "Now you have a good night.  Let's go ladies."  He released the clerk, who quickly yanked at his tightened collar, and pulled out his inhaler.

As soon as they had set foot outside the door to the office, the three of them burst into laughter.  They couldn't stop laughing until they were in their room, with the door locked tightly behind them.

"Thanks Shorty," Dali smiled at him.  "That was sweet of you."

"Anything for a pretty lady," he said with a smile.

"Where'd you get strength like that?" Max asked him.

Dominic's smile left his face.  "It's in the genes," he said simply and turned back to Dali.  "Anyway, Dad said a guy always has to look after his ladies…and since Justin's not here, I figured I'd better step in."  Dali's eyes widened and she flinched at the sound of Justin's name.  "Where is he anyway?" Dominic asked her, his eyebrows knitted.  "He promised a little one-on-one the last time I saw him.  And I gotta show him my moves."  He began pretending as though he was dribbling a basketball, weaving it in and out of his legs, and doing all kinds of spin moves.

Dali's eyes filled with tears, as she sat on the end of one of the beds.  "Uh, Shorty, I have to talk to you."  She absolutely dreaded having to relive the whole experience, even more so than having to be the one to tell her little brother, who she remembered was quite close with her best friend.  He was like an older brother to the young kid.

Dominic hadn't heard a word she said, he was too busy practicing his moves.  "And Korman goes up for the foul," he said, pretending to make a shot.  "Oh…it bounces off the rim…"

"Shorty," Dali interjected, but he still hadn't heard her.

"But he's got it back!  And he's taking it down the court…there's no one there to stop him!  Where's Miles?  He's eatin my dust…"

"Shorty," Dali said a little more forcefully.

But the young boy was stuck in his own world.  "And Korman goes up for the shot…it's good!  And that's the buzzer, end of the game!"

"Dominic!" Dali yelled at him.  "Would you please just listen?"

Dominic stopped, having finally heard his sister yelling to him.  He knew it was serious…she hardly ever used his full name.  He looked over to her, finally seeing the tears pooled in her eyes, and crossed the room to stand in front of her, and placed both his hands on her knees.  "What's the matter, Dalianna?"  His voice took on a worried tone.

Max, who had been standing nearby listening, mumbled some excuse about having to make a phone call, and stepped outside, closing the door behind her.  She had seen the little boy, his strength, his speed; and she didn't want to be anywhere near him when that bomb was dropped.  She headed down towards her bike and sat on it, before pulling out the cell phone Logan had given her just before they left.  She dialed his oh-so-familiar number, and put the phone to hear, listening to the ring.  He picked up on the second ring.

"Max?" he answered.

She smiled, "Well, technically, you're supposed to say 'hi', but since it is me, I won't hold that against you."

She could hear him chuckle on the other side.  "Thanks.  So what's the situation?"

"Well," she started, "we found Dali's brother.  Turns out everyone in the family's a Familiar."

"Are you serious?"

"Yup, had White there waiting for us and everything, but we made it out ok."

"Where are you?" he asked immediately.  "I'm coming to get you."

"No," she replied adamantly, "we're just inside the Idaho border.  We should be there by noon tomorrow.  No worries, we're not being followed, I checked."

"Ok," he said reluctantly.  Then he groaned. "Be careful!"

Max raised an eyebrow.  "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Uh…I'm having Original Cindy put some ointment on my back.  Apparently, I've got some pretty deep scratches…you should really cut your nails you know."

Max could hear the smile in his voice, and looked down at her nails.  She smiled to herself, thinking of them together.  "Funny, you weren't complaining the other night."

Logan laughed.  "Yeah, I kinda didn't notice…In fact, if Mole hadn't made a comment on it when seeing me coming from the shower yesterday, I probably wouldn't have even known…well, at least until the pain got really bad."

Max laughed, and then her face sobered as she thought of the kids in the room.  "Well, I left Dali to tell Dominic about Justin."

"Ooh, harsh blow." Logan said, his voice full of concern.  "How's he taking it?"

She looked over to the door to their room.  "Well, nothing's exploded, so I better go check and make sure they're both still alive," she replied, only a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

Logan nodded, though she couldn't see it.  "Ok, well, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Bright and early," she smiled.  "Good night Logan."

"Good night, Max," he replied.

Max closed the phone, and looked up at the sky.  Though it was free of clouds, the wind was as brisk as ever, and she couldn't wait to get back inside.  Slowly, she headed toward the door to the room.

***********************************************************************

After Max had left, Dali looked into her brother's eyes.

"Dalianna, what's the matter?" he asked again.  He cocked his head to the side, eyes boring holes through hers.  Suddenly, he stiffened, his own eyes now filling with tears.  "No," he whispered, shaking his head.  "No, it's a lie."

"I'm sorry," Dali whispered to him.  "I'm so sorry.  It's entirely my fault, I should've protected him."

Dominic grew angry.  "Why didn't you?  Everyone we've ever loved is dead, and you couldn't protect him?  You let our whole family die!  Who do we have left?  We don't have anyone.  You always run away.  He loved you…he loved you, and you couldn't protect him."

Dali slid to the floor, the tears finally spilling over, as her little brother voiced every thought she'd ever had.  "I'm sorry," she whispered over and over again. "I tried; I wanted to…I'm so sorry."

The anger left Dominic's eyes as he saw his sister, lone and vulnerable sitting on the floor.  He walked over, and sat in her lap, his head on his shoulder, and she held him tight, as he finally let the sobs overtake him.

That's how Max found them when she opened the door.  She crossed the room to them, and sat down, embracing them both, and letting tears of her own fall.  Tears for the family she never had that she wished she had, tears for the family they lost, tears for all the troubles and tribulations that they had to overcome.

Dominic fell asleep, and Dali lifted him slowly, and placed him on the bed, covering him up.  "I'll protect you with my last dying breath, little brother," she whispered.  "I promise."

Max put a hand on her shoulder.  "You sure you can keep that promise?" she asked gently.

Dali didn't look up at her, but nodded.  "I only live by 3 rules: don't make promises you can't keep; love and lose before love loses you; and I always say good-bye meaning to say hello again."  She looked up at the older girl, and gave her a half-smile. "It's when I say 'see-ya around' that you know something's up."

Max smiled down at her, and patted her shoulder.  "Why don't you try to get some rest?  It's been a long day."  To her surprise, Dali nodded slowly, and laid down next to her brother, wrapping an arm around him, she slipped into the subconscious.

************************************************************************

Max sat watching out the window until the sun began to peek over the horizon.  She had refused to sleep, knowing that White could burst into the room at any second and take them all out.  Not to say that she wasn't tired.  No matter how much shark DNA she thought she had, she was still part human, and that meant she did have to have some sleep.  And she hadn't slept a wink since leaving Terminal City.  Only the thought of running to Logan's arms kept her alert enough to keep watch through the night.

As the sun began to rise in the sky, Max quietly woke Dali and Dominic, who rose without a word, and prepared themselves for the final leg of the trip.  It wasn't long before they were back on the road, speeding through Idaho in a record amount of time, and crossing over the Washington border.  It was a pain in the neck going through checkpoints.  Max still had her Jam Pony checkpoint, and Dali had the one she'd taken from Sketchy just before leaving Terminal City, but that didn't really account for Dominic.  He started opening his mouth to tell off the sector police, when Dali shut him up with just a few words.  She explained that now that he was out of school for Christmas break, there was nowhere for her to leave him, if she didn't work, then they didn't have money.  Eventually, they made their way through the heart of Seattle.  And after having traveled for almost 4 days, and going through the trip from hell, Dali finally saw the high rises of the buildings in Terminal City looming ahead of them.

_Home, sweet, home_, she thought, and they headed toward the gate.

Post: Hey guys, thanks again for all the great reviews.  You guys rock!  Get that? R.O.C.K.!


	17. Chapter 16: Chutes and Ladders

Disclaimer: (Judge) This court hereby grants all rights and legalities of Dark Angel® to Charles Eglee and James Cameron.  Everyone else…you're out of luck. (Me) Aww, nuts…

Time-frame: post-Freak Nation

A/N: Hi everybody.  Please accept my sincere apologies.  With Spring Break right around the corner, it seems like all the teachers are conspiring against the students with the endless amounts of homework and projects and papers and tests….AHHHHHH!!!  Ok, now that that's out.  I'm sorry for having once again neglected my Dark Angel duties.  I promise to try not to let it happen again.  With Spring Break now upon me, I will have 10 days of what? Not endless fun in Jamaica, or partying in the Bahamas, or clubbing in Bermuda; but sitting on the couch in my home, pouring my blood, sweat and tears into my fanfic…why?  Because I love my readers so much…well, that's most of it…the rest of it is I'm too poor to afford any of those places!  I'm in college remember?  Ok, thank you everybody.

A/N2: I actually had this finished last night, and was trying to post it, but the log-in part of ff.net was down again…go figure

Chapter 16

Chutes and Ladders

They had arrived in Terminal City later than they thought.  It was early dusk when they entered the tall dilapidated building at the heart of Terminal City.  Dominic followed closely behind his older sister as they headed through the halls towards the Command Center.  Once or twice, he could've sworn they were being followed, and turned on his heels to catch the perpetrator, only to find no one there.  He followed Dali even more closely now, and took hold of her hand.  She smiled down at him.

"Since when have you been so shy?" she asked.

"This place gives me the creeps," he whispered up to her.

"It's probably just the X-7's and X-8's.  They like to sneak through the halls.  Must have alley cat in their cocktail or something."  Max laughed at Dali's joke, but Dominic didn't get it.  So he shrugged, but held even tighter to her hand.

After a few moments, they reached the Rec. room.  It was exactly how Dali remembered it; though she didn't know why she had expected it to change.  They had only been gone 4 days.  When they walked into the room, everyone looked up and silence spread.

"What's up people?" Dali said as a smile crossed her face.  "This is my brother Shorty.  Shorty, this is everybody."

"Hi," he said in a small voice.  People around him smiled, and nodded their greetings.  The young boy instantly became a little more relaxed, and everyone went back to what they had previously been doing as the noise level returned to normal.

Logan emerged from a corner of the room, and stood watching Max with a smile on his face.  When he caught her eye, she smiled and made her way over to him, stopping a few paces short.  She cocked an eyebrow and stared at him.

"Miss me?" she asked.

His smile dropped and he looked seriously into her eyes.  "Well, I only really thought about you on two occasions."

Max's look mirrored his.  _Is he joking?_ "And that would be…"

Logan closed the distance between them, and raised his hand to brush his thumb across her cheek.  "Day and night," he whispered back.

Max gave him a hundred watt smile.  "I missed you too."  She reached up a hand and brought his head down to meet hers.  Logan barely had time to think before he lost himself in the feel of her lips on his.

************************************************************************

Dali watched the two from afar.  She was glad she had helped to bring them together.  Much of it had been on their own of course, but she was proud of the small part she played.  Speaking of bringing people together…

"Dom, why don't you go meet some people?" Dali asked him.  Slowly, he descended the steps and began walking around taking everything in.  It reminded Dali of how she had behaved the first time she'd come to Terminal City.

Dominic strolled past the couches, where a few transhumans sat, deeply into a football game on the television.  Seeing the Seahawks brought back memories of the football game that his parents had taken them too when he was younger; so he continued.  He stopped next at Dix to ask him about the bike that he was endlessly working on, but not really knowing much about mechanics, Dom soon lost interest in the conversation.  He raised an eyebrow and approached Max and Logan, who were standing in the corner, still attached at the lip.

Max, lost in the world that was Logan's mouth, pulled away only when she felt the tug at her sleeve.  She looked down annoyed.  "What?" she hissed.

"Hi," Dominic greeted her letting the anger show on his face, "welcome back to the world of the breathing."

Max rolled her eyes and smiled.  "What's goin on, Shorty?"

Dominic turned his attention towards Logan.  "You must be Logan…my sister thinks you're hot."  Both Max and Logan rose an eyebrow at him, and Max looked up towards the doorway, but Dali was long gone.  _She probably went to find Alec…hope she doesn't find him shacked up with someone else.  It takes a lot to clean blood out of clothes._

"Who's Alec?" Dominic asked her, staring straight into her eyes.

"Uh…" Max didn't know how to answer.  She wasn't exactly sure that Dali and Alec were together, and if they were or if they weren't, it wasn't her business to tell.  "Maybe you should ask your sister," she replied carefully.  "Did you need something?"

"What's there to do around here, that's a little more interesting than exercises in holding my breath?" he asked, trying to keep the edge out of his voice.

Max thought for a moment.  "You know how to play chess?" she asked him.  He nodded.  "Wanna play me?"  He nodded again, more eagerly this time.  "Ok, see that boy over there?" she said pointing towards an X-5 who was pacing behind the computers.  She knelt down at Dominic's side and rested her chin on his shoulder.  He relaxed at her touch, breathing in the scent of cherries.  But she didn't notice, and kept talking.  "He's kinda moody, so you have to talk to him the right way.  Go over to him and say 'Max says take a knee'.  When you say that, he's gonna say 'Left or right?' and then you say 'Take your pick'.  Got it?"

Dominic turned to look at her as if she'd grown a third head.  "No English involved…got it." He shook his head and turned to make his way across the room.  As he left, he could've sworn he heard Logan say 'Somebody's got a little crush, because the green eyed monster of jealousy is rearing its ugly head.'  Dominic was glad Logan couldn't see the scowl on his face.

He approached the boy slowly, so as not to startle him.  He had taken a seat at the desk with the computers and was concentrating on some kind of map on the screen.  Dom reached his hand out and tapped him on the shoulder.  The boy, who looked to be only slightly older than his sister, turned toward him.

"What do you want kid?"

Dominic almost spit out a smart retort, but remembered Max telling him about the boy's moodiness.  He wanted to be careful he didn't ruin his chances of spending more time with her, and if that meant going through this guy, well…he'd put up, and shut up.  "Max says take a knee," he said in an overly-confident voice.

The boy didn't flinch.  "Left or right?"

"Take your pick," Dominic replied slowly with a smile on his face.  The boy raised an eyebrow at him, and bent over to pull a box from under the desk.  He rummaged around inside and came out with a smaller box that he thrust into Dominic's hands, and turned back to the computer without another word.  _How rude…_Dom thought to himself, but turned and walked away nonetheless.  He made his way back to where Max was waiting; taking note that Logan was still standing at her side.  Dominic glared at him, and turned to Max.

"Wow," she smiled, "he even gave you a box.  You must've had some kind of effect on him."

Dominic turned dreamy-eyed.  "Yeah, I got it like that."

"So, how come Dali calls you Shorty?" Logan interrupted them.

"Think about it," was Dominic's only reply.

Logan looked down at him. _I thought maybe it was a term of endearment, but it could be because you're short._

"Logan!" Max scolded him.  Both Logan and Dom shot her a look of confusion, before the young boy turned back to look at the older man.

"For your information, I'm not short.  I'm vertically challenged, unlike _some_ people who are obviously mentally challenged.  Now if you don't mind, we're in the middle of something."  Dominic was highly sensitive about his height.  Standing at only 3'5'', he looked more like 7 than 11.

Logan turned to Max.  "Are you sure they're not blood related?" he asked her.  He was taken aback by the small boy's strong disposition.  What was it that they called it?  The Napoleonic Complex?  Whatever.  He decided that for now, the boy was no threat to his relationship and, kissing Max on the cheek, left to join Dibs who was working at the computer, monitoring all entrances and exits surrounding Terminal City.

Max watched Logan cross the room, smiling to herself.  Dominic also watched him.

"That must be the corner for the cynical people," he retorted, watching Logan join the moody boy who had given him the game.  He turned to look at Max, a big smile replacing his frown.  "Ready to play?"

"Sure," she said, smiling down at him.  They found a couple chairs, and Max turned over an empty crate to use as a table.  They set up the game and began to play.  Within minutes they were very into it, and before long, Dominic picked up his queen, and moved it to the left of Max's king.  "Checkmate," he declared.  "I win!" he exclaimed, throwing both his fists into the air.

Max was surprised as she surveyed the game before her, checking to make sure he had really won.  "Wow, I didn't even see that."

Dominic dropped his hands at his side, and his face turned serious as he stared straight ahead.  "The element of surprise is a necessary tactical advantage when engaging an opponent in combat; it leaves your adversary disoriented, and hesitant of how to continue the battle," he said in a monotonous voice.

Max's head snapped up and she looked him straight in the eye.  "What did you say?" she demanded.

Dominic shook his head as if just realizing what he said.  _Uh-oh_.

"Uh-oh?" Max asked him.  "What uh-oh?"

For the second time in ten minutes, Dominic looked at her confused.  "How did you know what I was thinking?"

Max gazed at him warily.  "I don't know."  She paused.  "We have to find Dali.  Now.  Let's go."  She rose and left the room, with Dominic at her heels.

************************************************************************

Dali watched her brother circle the room before turning to leave.  _I think everything's gonna be ok.  Oh, better knock on wood.  It seems like every time I start to lower my guard, things take a turn for the worst._  She headed down the long hall in the barracks, leading to Alec's room.  She paused outside the door.  _I wonder if he's even still interested.  Probably not…I've been gone 4 days…a guy like Alec?  Some chick probably picked him up the moment I walked out the door.  Not that we were ever really together anyway._  After a few moments, there was no answer.  _He's not here anyway._  She sighed and turned to leave.  Allowing her feet to follow the wind and lead her around the city, she ended up circling the city, and then climbing the roof of the headquarters, with Joshua's flag whipping harshly in the cold breeze.  She stopped and held her breath at the sight before her.  Seated on the same small tin box she'd seen him only a couple weeks back, was Alec.  He sat staring up at the darkening sky, not giving any sign as to if he heard her approaching or not.  Slowly, she approached him, and sat down next to him.

"They're amazing aren't they?" she asked in a low voice.

He turned to look at her, as if only realizing that she'd showed up, and gave a small smile.  "Yeah, they are."

"My mom used to take us star gazing all the time.  Most of the time it was only in the backyard, but it didn't matter.  All we needed were some binoculars, some smores, and each other."

Alec tensed at her sentimentality.  "Yeah, well good ole' Manticore made sure we knew where the stars were just in case we happened to get dropped off in the middle of a forest a square mile thick."

Dali smirked at him.  "They made you guys do that too huh?"

Alec looked over at her, surprised.  "What do you mean 'too'?"

She looked up at the stars and shrugged.  "I may have left at an early age, but that didn't mean that I got out with no training."

"Right," he answered in a cold tone.  Dali noticed the hurt in his voice, and turned to look at him.

"It's ok, Alec.  Manticore's gone."  He didn't say anything, but nodded.  They both knew the truth and lie of her statement.  Sure Manticore was gone, but there was only something worse to take its place in the endless pursuit for the transgenics.  That's the way it would always be.

He turned his eyes to her, watching the gleam in her dark eyes as she gazed at the stars in all their wonder.  Her dark, creamy skin glistened in the moonlight.  Looking at her, Alec's mouth almost watered.  He wanted her so bad, he could taste it.  Without further warning, he took her in his arms, and planted his lips on hers.

At first, Dali was surprised.  She had expected something like this from him, and knew it was only a matter of time.  She relaxed, and began to return it, enjoying the feel of Alec's soft lips brazening her own.  He began brushing his tongue across her lips, begging entrance.  After only a moment's hesitation, she gave it to him.  Alec's tongue rushed inside, exploring every inch as though this were his only chance.  His senses were reeling.  What was wrong with him?  Kisses weren't supposed to feel like this, they never had before…_Dali was exactly right…amazing…_

************************************************************************

Max stood in the middle of the intersection of hallways in the barracks.  She had been to both Alec and Dali's rooms, and neither of them had been there.  _Where in the world is she?_  Dominic stood next to her, and suddenly jerked his head upward.

"She's on the roof." he announced.

Max didn't bother second guessing him, but took his hand, and led him up the stairwell.  _Dali, Shorty and I are on the way_.

"Why are you warning her?" Dominic asked.  Max didn't answer, but increased their pace as they climbed the steps to the roof.  She paused at the doorway at the top of the stairwell, but Dominic quickly pushed it open.

************************************************************************

Dali heard the warning from some far away place.  Max and Dominic were coming, but she couldn't seem to tear herself from Alec's kiss.  It was almost as if she knew she needed it.  It wasn't until the door flew open that she knew it was too late.

Dominic scrunched up his face at the site of his sister with this boy.  _Doesn't anybody get a room anymore?_  He marched straight up to them, and Dali pulled away.

"What's the problem?" she asked earnestly.

Dominic turned to Alec and landed a punch very hard to the side of his head.  Alec fell to the ground, and glared up at the young boy.  He wondered where the hell this kid got his strength from; it took a lot to drop an X-5 with one hit, especially for a kid.  Was he an X-8?  He looked young enough to be.

"No, I'm not an X-8," Dominic spat the term out as if it were dirty.  "I'm not a freak like you."

"Dominic Christopher!" Dali yelled at him.  "How dare you?"

"How dare you?" he yelled at her.  "_This_ is who you picked to replace Justin?!"

Dali's eyes softened as realization crossed her face.  "Is that what you think?  That's not true.  I'm not trying to replace Justin.  I loved him.  No one could replace him.  Ever." Her eyes hardened again.  "But whatever the case, it doesn't give you the right to come in here and hit Alec and then call him that genetic slur.  Because that's exactly what it is.  Mom and Dad raised you to be better than that.  Now apologize."  The young boy glared up at her.  "Apologize!" she demanded.

Dominic dropped his eyes to the ground, and then looked up at Alec, who had picked himself up off the ground.  "Sorry," he mumbled.

"Now what do you want?" she asked him, still partially angry.

Max stepped in before World War IV descended upon them.  "Go ahead Shorty," she said to him softly.  "Tell her what you told me."

Dominic looked skeptically up at Max.  _She's gonna be angry…_

Max smiled softly down at him.  _What, more angry than she already is?  She's gonna be even more if she has to find out from someone else.  Besides, you're probably in danger now.  Just tell her._

Dominic sighed and looked up at his sister.

"What are you guys talking about?" she asked.

Alec looked from her to Max, to Dominic, and back to Dali again, not understanding or hearing the flow of information.

"I was sent here to spy for the Conclave."  Dominic looked up into his sister's face, and waited for the explosion to come.

Post: Hey everyone, next chapter up real soon.


	18. Chapter 17: Jokes and Joys

Disclaimer: Ok, who here thinks I own Dark Angel? Raise your hand…now, take that hand, and smack yourself in the head.  Good job.

Time-frame: Post-Freak Nation

A/N: Hi again everyone, I'm on that wonderful college recess they call Spring Break, of course with all the homework and research I have to do, it's not really a recess.  But the time that I get off from going to class is going into my fanfic.  I love all of you reviewers…Heck, I love all of you readers who aren't reviewers…even though you could review if you wanted.  I think I'm gonna wrap this up in a few more chapters…I know, I know, I've been saying that since like Ch. 6, but I know where I wanna go with this, so I'm just gonna go there and be done.  Besides, I think I have an idea for another story brewing, and if I don't hurry up and get it off the fire, it'll boil over and I'll forget all about it!  Anyway, on with the story.

Chapter 17

Jokes and Joys

The air left Dali's lungs so quickly; she felt as though she'd just been hit over the head with a ton of bricks.  Suddenly she smiled.  "That's very funny Shorty.  Remember that little talk we had…about thinking before we joke?"

Dominic looked away thoughtfully for a moment.  "That was four years ago."

"It still applies," she said angrily.

"He's serious Dali," Max interrupted them.  "Alec, let's go get you some ice.  I think they need to talk."  She took Alec by the arm, and dragged him back through the stairwell door.

Dali sat back down, and Dominic sat a few feet away, staring straight ahead, not saying anything.  After a few moments, Dali broke the silence.  "Ok, Dominic.  Start talking, and be careful what you say, because you are skating on _very_ thin ice."

"When you and Justin left me at Aunt Brenda's house, she told me all about Mom and Dad and the Conclave, and Brother White…she told me that I was special, that I was the only one to come from the union of the strongest and the smartest in the Conclave."

"The smartest and the strongest?  You mean Mom and Dad?"

He nodded and continued.  "They put me in this school, and all we did was train.  We had to get up at 4 in the morning, and train for 2 hours, and then we were allowed to have breakfast, before we went to class for 5 hours, and the only things we learned about were the history of the Conclave and the Coming.  Then we trained some more.  For hours and hours."

"Trained?" Dali interrupted him.

"Yeah, physical training, exercises in everything from swimming to target practice…I hated it Dali.  I hated it everyday.  I wished that you would come and get me out.  You promised Mom and Dad that you would take care of me.  But Aunt Brenda knew.  She knew I was thinking about you.  Everyday I thought about you…wondered where you were…if you were okay."

Dali scooted a little closer to her brother.  "I thought about you everyday, too," she whispered.

Dominic kept staring straight ahead.  Dali recognized it as a technique she had learned at Manticore.  Focusing on something in the distant surroundings helps to detach you from whatever it is you're trying to escape, whether it be torture, or emotional conversations.  "She convinced me that it was all your fault," he continued.  "It was your fault that Mom and Dad were dead.  It was your fault that I had ended up there.  So I started to hate you.  Then one day, Brother White came up to me at lights out.  He told me that I was the best out of my whole class; that I had made the most improvement out of anyone he'd seen, and he thought I was ready for my first assignment."  He finally turned to look at her.  "He knew if I told you to come, you'd come.  So he told me to 'get in touch with you', and get you to come to Michigan.  He said that he knew if they tried to capture you, you would just get away.  So I was supposed to come back to Terminal City and spy on you and Max.  Get any information I could, and report back.  All I could think about was the day that Mom and Dad were killed…I never wanted anybody to get hurt.  I was just so angry…and scared, because I didn't know who to be angry at.  So I agreed to everything.  I was stupid…"  Dominic's eyes teared-up, and the tears spilled over onto his cheeks.  "I'm so sorry Doll.  Can you ever forgive me?"

Dali's heart broke at her brother's confession.  She wrapped an arm around his shoulders.  "You know, I remember the first time I ever held you.  You threw up all over me.  I took that as a sure sign that you hated me, which was cool, because I wasn't too fond of you either.  I knew absolutely zip about babies, except where they came from, and from what I found out from you, all they did was eat, cry, and crap."  Dominic gave his sister a small smile.  "But after awhile, you grew on me.  You stopped throwing up on me, and every once in a while, I made you laugh.  Love means never having to say you're sorry."  She held up her palm, and slowly, Dominic held up his to match it.  "Angels in heaven, from up above…"

"Are looking down on me with love."

Dali pulled her brother into a hug.  "I love you, Shorty."

"I love you, Doll," he whispered back.  _And I promise never to try to get you killed again._

Dali smiled to herself in the darkness.

************************************************************************

Dali took her brother inside to the barracks where the X-7s and X-8s were staying.  She figured he would probably feel better staying with other kids his own age than staying with her.  She showed him to an empty bed, and gave him an extra blanket.

"How come I don't get to stay with you?" he questioned her.

"Because I like my space," she responded.  "Hey, you know where my room is, if you have any problems at all, you come see me, k?"

He nodded, and sat down on the bed.  Just at that moment, some of the kids came into the room.  Dali smiled at her brother and bid him good night before leaving.  Dominic took note that three girls and two boys had come in the room.  They all headed over to one bed, and a boy with red hair and freckles sat down, telling what appeared to be an engrossing story about something that had happened earlier in the mess hall.  Dominic wished he could get closer and hear, but he didn't want to be nosy.  Busybodies don't make good first impressions.  So he sat watching from afar.  After only a few seconds, one of the girls looked up and smiled at him.  She came over and sat next to him on the bed.  Her bouncing brown hair and bright blue eyes reminded him of a friend he'd made back at the Conclave Elementary school.  But he didn't say so; he didn't think these kids would be too receptive if they knew his family were Familiars.

"Hi," she said, "are you an X-7 like me?"

Dominic shook his head.  Though at that moment, he never wished for anything more in his life.  For the first time in a long time, he found himself rendered speechless.

"Well are you X-8?" she asked.

He shook his head again.  The girl frowned.

"Are you transgenic?"

Sadly, Dominic shook his head again.

"Oh," she responded, and got up to walk away, but Dominic grabbed her wrist.

She sat back down.  And he finally found his voice.  "You're pretty."

She smiled at him.  "Thank you.  You're cute."  Dominic blushed and looked away.  "My designation's 548, but everyone calls me Susie.  What's your name?"

"Dominic, but everyone calls me Shorty."

Susie reached in her pocket and pulled out some dollar bills.  "I'll give you $4.35 if you'll be my boyfriend."

Dominic raised an eyebrow at her skeptically.  "Sorry, I'm not for sale.  But I'll think about it if you introduce me to your friends."

Susie laughed.  "Wanna play Escape and Evade?"

Dominic nodded eagerly.

Susie took him by the hand.  "Come on, I'll introduce you to the rest of the guys."

"So then, he picked up one of the rations…" the boy with the red hair was finishing up his story when the two walked up, and he trailed off as he saw them.

"Hi guys," Susie began, "this is Shorty.  He's new."

The boy with the red hair stood and stuck out his hand.  "I'm JJ, and this is Sean, Wendy, Mandi and Chris," he introduced everyone.  "Welcome to Hell—I mean Terminal City."  They all laughed.

"He's gonna play Escape and Evade with us," Susie explained.  "And he's on my team."

"Fine," JJ said, "Then you guys are prey."

"Oh, that's not fair," Susie began to protest.

"Hey, you guys got 5 minutes, and time starts now!"

Without further dispute, Susie grabbed Dominic's hand and they took off down the hall.

************************************************************************

Max found a note on her door.  It had only held six words, but the thought of what they could mean made her heart jump in anticipation.  _Meet me in my room, Logan_.  She pondered calling Original Cindy for a moment, before deciding to head off towards Logan's room.  Cindy would be by the next day, it was gonna be New Year's Eve, and she never missed ringing in the New Year with her boo.

Max's thoughts wandered to her old friends and everyone else back at Jam Pony.  She missed her old job.  Cindy's jokes, Sketchy's goof-ups, Herbal's advice, even Normal's annoying bip-bip-bipping would be a welcome sight.  How things had changed over the past couple of years.  First and foremost of course was Logan.  She had known from the very first night that there was something special about him.  She had heard people talk about their hearts doing flip-flops, and wondered if that was even possible.  Now she knew for sure that it was.

They shared everything with one another, from their perfections to their faults, and Max hoped that whatever happened, that's how it always would be.  Seconds later, she was outside Logan's door, with another note attached.  _Go down the hall, turn left…the last room on the right._  Her curiosity now peaked, she followed the directions, and ended up outside a door that she realized she had never known was there.  They hadn't really been in Terminal City long enough to explore every inch, and with everything going on, she hadn't seen everything there was to see.  This must be one such thing.  She knocked lightly, but didn't hear anything.  So she opened the door, and almost gasped at the sight.

The room was filled with a soft glow from candles sitting on the window sill and all around the room.  In the middle of the room was a table set up with two chairs.  On the table was a white lace tablecloth, and two tall red candles.  Two places were set with dishes and silverware, and soft orchestral music and the light smell of garlic bread filled the atmosphere.  Max walked to the middle of the floor, and looked around.  She heard the door close behind her.

"Took you long enough," Logan said in a low voice.

Max turned to face him and smiled.  "Absence makes the heart grow fonder."

Logan smiled and walked over to her.  "A lesson I've learned well over the past week."

"Logan, what is all this?" Max asked curiously.

"Well, tomorrow's New Year's Eve, but I figured Cindy would be over, and with everything else going on in Terminal City, we wouldn't really be able to celebrate alone.  So I figured we could ring in the New Year a little early.  Do you mind?"

"Not at all," she whispered.

"I didn't think you would," he grinned at her.  "Especially since I made us pasta for dinner."  She narrowed her eyes at him.

"How'd you manage to pull that off?"

"I had Alec run a couple errands for me," he shrugged.  Then he walked over to the radio, and switched on the CD player.  He strolled back over to her, and held out a hand.  "May I have this dance?"

Max smiled and put her hand in his.  "You most certainly may."  He led her away from the table, and took her in his arms.  Her head rested on his shoulder, and the low humdrum of his heartbeat almost lulled her into a trance as she listened to the words of the song.

_I was lonely_

_I needed someone to see me through_

_And I was at the end of my rope,_

_I needed someone to cut me loose_

_And then an angel out of the blue,_

_Gave me the sense that I might make it through_

_And somehow I survived, with no rhyme or reason_

_And now I know I'll make it through the miracle of you_

_I know the color of love, and it lives inside of you_

_I know the color of truth, it's in the image of you_

_If it comes from the heart, then you know that it's true_

_It will color your soul like a rainbow_

_And the color of love is in you_

_Colors, the colors, the colors, the colors of_

_Colors, the colors, the colors, the colors of_

Logan held Max close.  It seemed that every time they tried to be happy, something ripped it away.  They had already come to accept the fact that they would never be a normal, happy couple, but it was times like this that he planned to enjoy until the last second.  But Logan couldn't be too angry with whatever deity lie out there.  After all, He had sent him Max, his own personal guardian angel.  How many times had she risked her life to save his own…or to save someone else's, even if she didn't know the person?  She had saved him so many times.  Whenever he descended into the deep, dark place that had driven him to think of ending his life, all he needed to do was picture the look of horror and pain that crossed her face, and he instantly snapped out of it.  He would give his life instantly so she wouldn't have to feel one ounce of sadness.  After everything that she had been through with Manticore, and losing her brothers and sisters, and the Conclave, at the end of the day, she was still standing tall with a beautiful smile on her face.  He only hoped with all his heart that someday, he could be as strong yet caring as she was.

_Like a bridge, over troubled, troubled waters_

_You stood beside me, stood beside me_

_And your love did not falter_

_Then the angel, angel in you_

_Gave me the strength to know_

_That I will get through_

_And that's how I survived_

_Ain't no other reason_

_And now I know I'll make it, through the miracle of you_

_I know the color of love, and it lives inside of you_

_I know the color of truth, it's in the image of you_

_If it comes from the heart, then you know that it's true_

_It will color your soul like a rainbow_

_And the color of love is in you_

_Colors, the colors, the colors, the colors of_

_Colors, the colors, the colors, the colors of_

_Colors, the colors, the colors, the colors of_

_Love, love, love_

Max smiled as she thought about all the changes in her life.  She remembered how she was before she met Logan, a cold, restless soldier, just doing her best to make it day-to-day in this freak show they called a post-pulse world.  She had never known the world could be a good place until he came along.  She had never known people could be so selfless, or so loving.  How is it that a person could put the world's 7.2 billion people ahead of themselves day-in and day-out and never give it a second thought?  It boggled her mind.  He had never given up on them.  Manticore had thrown them its slickest curveball, and he still planned on making it count.  Loyalty was something that Manticore had taught its soldiers to hold very dear to their hearts.  And she had.  All of her life, loyalty was what she looked for in every friend she made, and Logan had shown her more loyalty in two years than she had seen her whole life.  After she had caused him to lose all the feeling below his waist, and faced life in a wheelchair, he still loved her; when she hadn't even known if she could forgive herself.  She only hoped with all her heart that someday she could be as strong, yet caring as he was.

_So girl I wanna thank you,_

_I can't thank you enough_

_For showing me the meaning_

_The meaning of true love,_

_When love was lost inside of me,_

_You opened up your heart_

_When I needed you to comfort me,_

_You opened up your arms_

_I couldn't face another day_

_You said don't be afraid_

_You showed my heart the way_

_I know the color of love, and it lives inside of you_

_I know the color of truth, it's in the image of you_

_If it comes from the heart, then you know that it's true_

_It will color your soul like a rainbow_

_And the color of love is in you_

_Colors, the colors, the colors, the colors of_

_Colors, the colors, the colors, the colors of_

_Colors, the colors, the colors, the colors of_

_Love, love, love_

_Oh, the color of you_

Max looked up into Logan's eyes, and saw more love than she ever thought possible.  

"Happy New Year, Max," he whispered.

_Say it, Max, just say it.  And this time, don't scream it at him out of anger.  Say it like you mean it_, she thought to herself.  Max took a deep breath.  No amount of briefing would prepare her for this mission.  This time, she was on her own.

"Logan…" she began.  _Just say it!_ "I love you." _Whew, now was that so hard?_

_She said it!  I know how hard it must've been for her, and I hope she knows how much it means to me._  Logan smiled and kissed her forehead.  "I know Max.  I love you too."

Max grinned and rubbed her nose against his, giving him Eskimo kisses.  "You know, suddenly, I'm not so hungry anymore."

"Me neither…you thinkin what I'm thinkin?" Logan cocked an eyebrow playfully.  Then he grabbed Max's hand without waiting for a response, pulled her with him, and they blew out all the candles and headed for his room.

************************************************************************

"And that's Mercury…" Dali's voice began to trail off as she yawned.  She lay in Alec's bed with her head on his shoulder, fully clothed of course; they had decided not to take that step yet.  He had somehow found glow-in-the-dark star and galaxy stickers and had posted them on his ceiling as an exact replica of the night sky.  To anyone else, it would have seemed OCD; to a Manticore soldier, it was simply keeping up appearances.  Dali had left her brother's bunk, and made her way to Alec's room to find him lying in bed staring at the ceiling.  She had spent the last half an hour pointing out every star that she knew.  She had to admit, he had done a good job.  Especially when he told her that it had taken him all of 3 days to do it.  But when he'd finished, there were some 300 stars and planets on his ceiling.

Suddenly the door flew open, as did Dali's eyes.  Two kids came running into the room, and hopped on the other side of the bed, landing smoothly on the floor and then crouching down to hide under the it.  Both Dali and Alec sat straight up in the bed.

"What the hell?" Alec exclaimed.

A head popped up.  "Dali," it hissed, "it's just me."

"Dominic!" she screeched.  "What the hell are you doing?"

"Escape and Evade," he whispered.  "Shh…I hear them, they're coming."

Less than 10 seconds later, four other kids ran into the room.

"I know they're in here," proclaimed a kid with bright red hair.  "I can smell Susie."  They began to search the room, completely ignoring the two occupants on the bed.  One of them looked under the bed.

"Found em!" he exclaimed.

Susie and Dom scrambled out the other side and the other 4 chased them around the room.

"Hey!" Dali shouted at them.

They continued laughing and running around the room.  Dominic and Susie hopped onto the bed.

"Whoa," Alec said pulling Susie off his lap, and setting her on the floor.

"Hey!" Dali yelled again, but the kids were oblivious to any existence but they're own.  "That does it," she muttered.  She climbed out of bed and flipped the lights on.  Then putting two pinkies in her mouth, she whistled loudly.  The kids screeched to a halt.  "Fall in, munchkins!"

Immediately, the kids fell into line against the wall, standing at attention.  Dali stood pacing in front of them.

"At ease," she said, at which they all rested their stances.  "Now, no one is happier than I am that you're having fun.  You should be.  But this is neither the time nor the place.  This is the barracks.  They're made for sleeping, not playing.  It is almost midnight.  That means it's lights out for you.  So here's what you're gonna do: file out, head to your barracks, and sleep.  Everybody got that?"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!" was their enthusiastic response.

"Good.  If I find you out of bed again tonight, you'll all be on latrine duty for a week.  Dismissed!"  They saluted her, and JJ took over.

"Company, left face!  Forward march!"  They filed out, and Dali shut the door behind them and heaved a sigh.  She looked over at Alec, who had a big grin on his face.

"What?" she inquired

He just smiled and shook his head.  _You can take the girl out of the Manticore, but you can't take the Manticore out of the girl…_

Dali walked over and snatched up the pillow, hitting him in the head with it.  "I heard that."

Alec couldn't keep the grin off his face.  "Would you get out of my head?"

Dali smiled, and laid down, resting her head on his shoulder.  _I can't help it.  I think I'm falling in love…_

Post: Hey guys, just a quick couple of notes.  Thanks for all the reviews!  The lyrics are from the song "Color of Love" by Boyz II Men, it's a great song, if you get the chance, download it, or listen to it.  The next chapter should be up in a couple of days, pending that everything goes as plans.  Thanks again!

Angie731


	19. Chapter 18: Auld Lang Syne

Disclaimer: I (sniff) don't (sniff, sniff) own them! (Boo hoo!)

Time frame: Post-Freak Nation

A/N:  Here's the next chapter, as promised.  It might not be as good as the others, but hey, you can't win em all.  Sorry about the wait…I had it written like a week ago, but with my sister's prom, and all this other stuff I had going on, I didn't have 2 seconds to put it up on the web.  2 maybe 3 more chapters, and it will be over.  Thanks again for the reviews!!

Chapter 18

Auld Lang Syne

Dali woke up to light streaming in on her face.  She figured that must be a good start to a good day…the sun hardly ever showed its face in Seattle.  Alec was already up and nowhere to be found.  So she sat up and stretched, before making her way to her room to get ready for the day.

When she entered the mess hall, it was already buzzing with activity.  Here and there, transgenics and transhumans were eating, talking, and just relaxing in general…a sight rarely seen around Terminal City.  She grabbed one of the rations, though the sight of them made her lose her appetite, and found Max, Alec and Logan all seated together.  She could hear them, even before she got to the table.

"Alec, come on, I've been cutting you slack for the past week.  What have you been up to anyway?" Max questioned him.

"It's nothing.  I just don't feel like doing sentry duty today," he responded.

"Morning," Dali said, taking a seat.

"I was wondering if you were gonna sleep the whole day away," Alec commented.

"Yeah, well at least I don't snore," she replied.

Max and Logan looked at each other smiling.

"What are you two grinning about?" Dali and Alec asked simultaneously.  That caused laughter all around.

Suddenly, Dali felt Alec nudge her, before pointing to the doorway of the room.  The four of them turned to see Dominic and his new buddies coming in.

"Is Shorty holding Susie's hand?" Max asked.

"Looks like it," Dali smiled, "he's faster than I thought.  I had him pegged for at least a week before some girl fell for him."  She shook her head.  "Gee, Alec, Shorty stole your girl from right underneath your nose, but I guess that means Logan won't have to worry about him stealing Max away anymore."

Logan shook his head.  "Yeah, until the next prepubescent midget comes along."

"Hey," Max said resting a hand on his cheek, "there's only room for one guy in my heart, so stop worrying."

Alec rolled his eyes.  "Ok, now I'm putting _myself_ on sentry duty.  Anything to get away from you guys."  He gave a Dali a quick kiss on the cheek.  "See you later," he muttered before wandering off out the door.

"Happy New Year people!" Dali heard a familiar voice call.

"What's up boo?" Max said standing to give her girl a hug.

"It's not New Year's yet, Cindy," Dali reminded her.

"Original Cindy is well aware that it is not yet New Year's.  She's just practicing," she smiled and took the seat that Alec had previously occupied.  "So how're things around this rat-trap you call a home?"

Before anyone could answer, Dominic approached them.  "Dali, are we allowed outside the perimeter fence?"

"Absolutely not," she answered calmly.

"Why not?" he objected tenaciously, "It's broad daylight!"

"Yeah," she answered, "that's when the Conclave does its best work.  Consider yourself a rogue warrior.  You abandoned your post; betrayed your superiors.  From now on, you're number one on their list of priorities.  Not only did you not get them information that you promised, but you know everything about them, and you're out in the world.  As far as they're concerned, you're public enemy number one, pal.  So no, you cannot go outside the perimeter fence, even in broad daylight."

He sighed.  "Fine."

"Hold up, hold up," Original Cindy interrupted them.  "Who's this?"

"Oh, my fault Cindy, I forgot.  This is my little brother, Shorty.  Shorty, this is Original Cindy.  She's a good friend of the family," Dali smiled.

"What's good, little man?" Cindy questioned him.

"Chillin like a villain my sistah," Dominic responded, bumping her fist.

"See, now that's what Original Cindy's talkin about.  A lil brother who knows how to speak the word."

"Yeah, that comes from watchin too much television, and playin too many video games," Dali said.

Max suddenly looked up at Dali.  _Dali, can I talk to you for a second?_

Dali looked over at her, quizzically, but nodded and the two stood up.

"Where you guys goin?" Logan asked them.

"Just for a walk," Max said, kissing him quickly.  "We'll be right back."

"No," Logan said, grabbing her wrist.  "You are not leaving me here with the spawn of Satan."  He eyed Dominic warily, who narrowed his eyes at him, but neglected comment.

"Relax, Logan.  He's got a girl now.  We won't go that far.  I promise.  Besides, if he tries anything, Cindy will protect you." Max smiled and pulled her wrist from his grasp, and the two headed off.

"So what's the deal?" Cindy asked the Logan and Dominic.  The two looked at each other, and then at her, but neither responded.

************************************************************************

As soon as they were out the door, Max began to question the young girl.

"What is up with this whole mind reading thing?" she asked Dali.

"Uh…I thought I explained that to you like two months ago…" Dali began.

"No," Max stopped her.  _Why can I do it?_

Dali narrowed her eyes, and looked at her in confusion.  _What are you talking about?_

Max raised her eyebrows.  _Hello!  I'm doing it right now!_

A look of realization crossed her face.  "Oh."

"Well do you know why?" Max asked her impatiently.

Dali thought for a moment.  "Possible side effect," she finally answered.

"Of…"

"The cure."

"The cure?  Do I wanna ask why?"

Dali sighed.  "The derivative for the cure was in my DNA.  So I extracted some from my blood and used it to make the cure."

"You mean I have your DNA flowing through my veins right now?"

"You make it sound like a disease or something.  It's not necessarily bad; it just happened that you picked up one of my physical traits.  I thought that might happen.  It's not that big of a deal though.  If you wanna get rid of it, I can cook up something in the lab that'll turn of the electrodes in that part of the brain, and you'll be right back to normal."

"Chill.  I didn't say I wanted to get rid of it.  It's actually kind of cool.  I just wanted to know where it came from.  To be honest, I kind of started developing my sixth sense a while ago."

"Is that a fact?"

"Yeah, I don't know how, but back during this whole hostage situation in my old job, I knew White was making his move.  Something tells me if we hadn't left when we did, I wouldn't be here right now."  She paused for a minute.  "Speaking of White, what are we gonna do about your brother?"

"I don't know," Dali sighed.  "We're gonna have to keep him under close surveillance.  I've got a bad feeling about this.  I'm thinking White needed him a lot more than Dominic let on, and if that's so, then he's gonna be looking to get him back.  I can't let that happen Max.  I just got him back."

"Don't worry.  We're not gonna let anything happen to him."  Max's face abruptly paled, and she staggered a little.

"Are you okay?" Dali looked at her closely, concern heavy in her voice.  She briefly placed a hand on Max's shoulder to steady her.

Max straightened up, and brushed the back of her hand across her forehead.  "I'm fine.  Just felt a little lightheaded all of a sudden."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm ok."

Dali sighed and smiled.  "Let's just to try to get into the new year, with a smile on our faces.  Sometimes that makes all the difference."

Max smiled at her, and they turned and together headed back towards the mess hall.

************************************************************************

It was about two minutes until midnight.  Max had gathered everyone out in the courtyard.  Apparently, a surprise had been set up for them.  She stood looking out over the multitude of transgenics and transhumans spread over the blocks.  _This is my family…and no matter what, I'm responsible for them.  I can only hope that once this whole War on Transgenics is over, they can try to find a way to make a life in this already crazy, mixed-up world._  Logan walked up and took her hand.

"You almost ready?" he asked.

She checked her watch.  "Almost," she smiled.

Alec and Dali stood by, watching everything.  She loved New Year's.  From the very first year she had stayed with the Kormans, they let her stay up to ring the New Year in, and every year, she enjoyed it.  Original Cindy had taken it upon herself to spend a good three hours teaching everyone Auld Lang Syne so they could ring in the New Year 'the right way'.

Dali knew Alec knew what they were in store for, but he wasn't saying anything…and he wasn't thinking anything either.  He had become good at that.  Hiding his thoughts from her.  It was getting harder to read him, and Dali didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.  She decided to let it go for the time being.  She rubbed her hands together and blew on them to keep them warm.  Alec stood behind her, and wrapped his arms around her, and she relaxed in his embrace.

Max raised the bullhorn to her mouth.  "Ok, everybody!  We're coming down to the last fifteen seconds.  Is everybody ready?"  A cheer went through the crowd, and Max began the countdown.  "Ok, here we go…10…9…"  Everyone joined in.

"8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1! Happy New Year!"  The crowd burst into a chorus of Auld Lang Syne, much to Original Cindy's pride, and Dali turned to Alec.

"Happy New Year, Alec," she smiled at him.  He smiled back, and his lips found hers.

Max laughed at them, and turned to Logan.  "Happy New Year, Logan."

"Happy New Year, Max."  His mouth covered hers, and the rest of the world was lost to them.

Dominic and Susie stood watching the two couples.  Dominic scrunched up his face.  "That doesn't look like much fun.  How come everybody's doing it?" he asked Susie.

She cocked her head to the side.  "Maybe there's something we're missing.  Wanna try?"

Dominic turned to look at her.  _She's serious…better play it cool._  He shrugged his shoulders.  "Ok." He turned to face her, and took her one hand in his.  She closed her eyes and leaned forward a little.  Dominic sighed, and closed his eyes too, before closing the space between them.  He could've sworn he felt a little spark when his lips touched hers.

Max turned and saw them.  She smiled and nudged Dali, who turned to see them as well.  _They're so cute._ Max thought.

A few seconds later, Susie pulled away.  "That wasn't so bad, huh?"

Dominic blushed a little and smiled.  "Actually, it was kinda nice.  But I think I'm better at Escape and Evade."  They both laughed.  "Happy New Year Susie."

"Happy New Year Shorty."

Dali turned to Alec.  "So what was the big surprise?" she asked.

He cocked an eyebrow at her.  "Just watch."  Seconds later, a boom went off, and a bright light filled the sky, followed by several others.  Silence spread over the crowd as everyone was entranced by the bright colorful lights set off against the dark night sky.  Alec let Dominic sit on his shoulders to have a better look, and Logan let Susie sit on his.  They ooh-ed and ahh-ed through the better part of the night.

************************************************************************

The next couple of weeks flew by for Dali and Dominic.  Dominic was getting used to living life around Terminal City.  Soon, the questions about his whereabouts before he had landed there stopped, and he began to enjoy himself.  He and JJ had become partners in crime, if they weren't trying to find ways to sabotage the soldiers on duty at the perimeter fence, then they were building stink bombs to toss into the girls' latrine.  He also had Susie.  Everyone just thought it was so cute that they were together; he really couldn't see what the fuss was all about.  She was just a regular friend, who happened to be a girl, and sometimes they held hands.  No big deal.

Dali was also slipping back into her routine at Terminal City.  She was careful to keep a close eye on her brother though.  Sometimes he and the X8 they called JJ got into trouble, but she put it off as boys being boys.  They were just blowing off steam.

No further news had been heard from the Conclave or White.  The situation in D.C., however, was becoming increasingly more intense.  The president's daughter was adamant on wiping out the entire transgenic race.  Every day, she took a step to get a bill passed, or held a rally in a town square.

Dali couldn't understand why people were so narrow-minded.  All throughout history, people were being oppressed or discriminated against for some previous unavoidable wrongdoings.  The more and more she thought about it, Dali was glad she wasn't an ordinary.  They always seemed to need someone to blame something on.

************************************************************************

Max looked at herself in the mirror.  For the past few weeks, she hadn't been feeling too well.  For some reason, she couldn't keep anything down.  And she was tired all of the time too.  Of course, that could be because the nausea was keeping her awake at night.  She had gone to see Rose in the infirmary, and Rose had confirmed Max's initial fears, and given her what Rose thought was great news: she was pregnant.

It had taken nearly a week, but Max had finally come to terms with the fact that there was a living breathing being growing inside her.  At first, she was scared; then she was excited, but scared at the same time.  It was probably just the hormones.  The only problem now was how was she going to tell Logan?

************************************************************************

Dominic sat on his bunk, tossing a rubber ball at the base of the bed above his.  He was bored.  JJ had twisted his ankle when they were jumping rooftops the other day, and Rose, the doctor in the infirmary, had told him he would have to stay there for another day or so.  Susie came into the room and sat on his bed.

"Hey," she greeted him.

"Hey," he responded, not looking at her.

"What's the matter?" she asked him.

"I'm bored.  There's nothing to do around here."

Susie looked down at him with a gleam in her eye.  "Well, Sean, Wendy and I were thinking of going outside tonight."

Dominic sat up and looked at her.  "Outside the perimeter fence?" he asked incredulously.

Susie nodded eagerly.  "Just for a couple hours or so.  We'll sneak out, go have some fun, and sneak back in before anyone ever knows we're gone.  Whaddya say?"

Dominic held her gaze seriously.  "I say…it's a great idea.  Let's do it."

************************************************************************

Max walked down the hall in the barracks towards Logan's room a few hours later, giving herself a pep-talk the whole way.  _It's gonna be ok, Max.  You've taken down five 300 pound men all by yourself, and disabled a bomb, that could've taken out an entire city, in less than ten seconds.  You can do this._  She was so lost in her own thoughts; she didn't even see Alec coming towards her until she almost walked right into him.

"Max!  Are you ok?" Alec looked at her anxiously.

"Yeah," she muttered.

"Are you sure?  You look like death warmed over…"

"I said I'm fine Alec!"  She pushed past him, and continued down the hall.  Alec shook his head briefly, and walked away.

Max stood outside Logan's door a few seconds later.  He had been working hard the past weeks keeping a special eye on surveillance to make sure they weren't having any security breaches, for Dominic's sake as well as everyone else's, and Dibs had volunteered to take over his shift so he could rest for a while.  Max hoped she wasn't waking him.  She knocked softly, and waited for his response.  A few seconds later, it came.

"Come in."

Max entered, taking note that his hair was completely flattened on one side as he sat up on the bed.  "Hey sleepyhead," she smiled at him, and walked over to give him a kiss on the forehead and then sat, running her fingers through his hair…trying fruitlessly to straighten it out.

"Hey yourself," he yawned.  "Sorry…I just woke up, I was…" he paused, looking more closely at her.  He put a hand on her cheek, and she tensed at his touch.  "Max, are you feeling ok?  You look like you've just seen a ghost."

Max looked him in the eye.  _Ok, you've been keeping this from his long enough.  Now's the time._  She sighed.  "Logan, we need to talk."

His face paled.  _Oh, God…she's found someone else…after everything we've been through, I'm not enough for her…it's okay…it was bound to happen sooner or later.  I'll just smile and put on a brave face.  I mean, hey, it's her happiness that matters, and if someone else can make her happy…well…_

Max almost laughed out loud.  "Don't look so scared.  It's not like I'm leaving you or anything."

Logan relaxed visibly, and a small smile crossed his face.  "Well, what's the matter?"

Max paused, looking away, and Logan noticed.

He took one of her hands in his.  "Max, whatever it is, we can get through it together.  I love you.  Just tell me."

She finally brought her eyes up to meet his.  "I'm pregnant."

************************************************************************

Dali sat on the couch watching the news when Alec came in and sat down with her.

"And in political news, the president's daughter will be holding a press conference in downtown Seattle outside city hall in just a short while.  Her presence has brought anti and pro-transgenic supporters alike out to the gates of city hall, each trying to make their points heard.  Channel 12 will be holding live footage of the press conference…"

Dali turned to look at Alec.  And the thoughts entered her mind with no warning.

_"One day we will live in a world where we will not have to fear for the lives of our children…where we will not have to look over our shoulders to see if we're being hunted by a mutant, half-man, half-animal.  Since the beginning of time, our human soldiers have done a fine job in battle, why should we need to send in animals to do our own job?  Pretty soon, they'll be thinking that they deserve our jobs, our families, when will we be safe?  The answer is when the entire transgenic and Conclave populations have been eradicated!"_

_A cheer could be heard, and then a single gunshot…and blood…blood everywhere… people running…people screaming…chaos…_

_"Dali! Dali!" the voice pierced the dark… "Help me!" it seemed to echo off the walls of Dali's skull.  "White has me…warehouse…downtown…hurry!"_

"Dali!"  Alec's sharp voice pierced her consciousness.  Dali jumped up out of her seat.  "Whoa, whoa, whoa…where's the fire?" Alec asked her, standing and putting his hands on her shoulders to calm her down.

Dali looked into Alec's eyes.  "Where's my brother?" she asked in a low voice.

Alec knitted his eyebrows.  "He was in his room a little while ago.  Why?"

Dali blurred out of the room and down the hall, with Alec close behind.  She climbed the stairs to the third floor, where the barracks that her brother slept in were located.  She threw the door open and flipped on the light switch.

Mandi jumped out of bed, and stood at the foot of it, standing at attention.  "X7-803 is ready to commence training ma'am!"

Alec cocked an eyebrow.  _Must've been dreamin about good ole' Manticore._  "Go back to bed soldier," he commanded.  Mandi crawled sleepily back into bed without further protest, and almost immediately fell back into a deep sleep.

Dali had walked the length of the room.  JJ wasn't in his bed, of course.  The idiot had twisted his ankle skipping roofs, and was confined to the infirmary, more for his own safety than anything else.  Mandi was there…Chris was there…but Wendy, Sean and Susie's beds were all empty…so was Dominic's.

Post: Ok, starting to draw to a close…I know, I'm disappointed too…but I'm not sure if I could keep the same storyline going forever…I don't have that kind of patience…or that kind of imagination.  Nothing new would ever happen…anyway, I love the great reviews.  You guys are AWESOME!  I told myself in the beginning if I got 10 reviews by the end of the story, I would be happy with myself… and you guys have given me like…lots more than 10!  So thanks again!  Next chapter soon.


	20. Chapter 19: The Day of Reckoning is at H...

Disclaimer: I don't own Dark Angel…I don't own Dark Angel…I don't own Dark Angel… sometimes if you repeat things long enough, you start to believe them…

Time-frame: Post-Freak Nation

A/N: Hey guys…this chapter and the next are kind of connected; hence the titles (you'll see when chapter 20 comes up).  

Chapter 19

The Day of Reckoning is at Hand…

"Oh God," Dali whispered.  She felt her knees fall from beneath her, but from nowhere, a pair of strong arms reached out to catch her.

They stood her up, and she looked up to see that Alec had disappeared, and none other than Lydecker stood staring at her.

"You!" she sputtered, pushing him away.  "This is all your fault!" She launched herself at him, but he evaded her easily.  Suddenly, Max was standing at her side.

"Dali, what are you doing?  We have to work with him."

"Work with him?!" Dali looked at her in amazement.  "I'm sorry, Max.  Did we not grow up in the same biosynthetic military government controlled facility?  This guy is a type A asshole.  He used to make me scrub toilet seats with a toothbrush!"

Max looked from Dali to Lydecker.  "He's changed. He's helping us now."

"Bull," Dali responded.  "People like him never change."

"I have changed, 927," Lydecker looked at her sympathetically.

"Kiss my ass, Deck," she spat at him.

"Still having trouble with authority, I see."

"Go to hell…sir."

He pulled out a gun, and turned it on her.  She closed her eyes tightly, wishing the scene to go away.

"Dali!"

Dali looked up into Alec's eyes.  "Alec?  What happened to Lydecker?  
Alec stared at her perplexed.  "Lydecker?"

"Yeah, he was just here…he was…" she stopped, noting the look on Alec's face.  "I just had this terrible nightmare…first, my brother was missing, and then, Lydecker was here…and Max said I had to work with him."

Alec put a hand on her shoulder.  "Well, there's good news, and there's bad news.  The good news is Lydecker is not here.  He's probably lying dead in a ditch somewhere for all I care.  But the bad news is your brother really is missing."

As glad as Dali was to hear that Lydecker was no closer to her now than he had been for the past year, she fell apart at the thought of her brother in White's hands.  "They have him Alec…they have my little brother.  Oh god…they're gonna kill him."  Her voice broke, and she couldn't stop the tears from springing to her eyes.

Alec knew what to do.  He shook her hard.  "Snap out of it soldier.  There's still time to save him.  But you gotta keep it together.  Can you do that?"

A dark look crossed Dali's eyes, and she stood straight as stone.  She nodded gravely.  "They're keeping him in a warehouse in downtown Seattle."

"What about the others?" Alec asked.

"Unaccounted for," she responded without blinking.

"We've gotta go get Max and Logan.  Let's move out."

The two of them left the barracks, and flying down the hall to Logan's room, they threw the door open.

************************************************************************

Logan looked into Max's eyes.  _Did she say what I think she just said?_  He was so stunned, for a few moments, he couldn't say anything.

"Earth to cloud nine…Logan do you read me?" Max joked.  She was almost afraid to hear what his answer was.  It had not occurred to her when she was with Logan that she could get pregnant.  When she found out, she reprimanded herself for not having thought of it before hand and using protection.  She tried not to scold herself too much…after all, it was partly his fault…when he touched her, she couldn't even remember her own name.  "Logan, did you hear what I just said?"

"Yeah," he finally whispered.  "We're gonna have a baby…"

Max sighed, and looked at him doubtfully.  "Yeah…what do you think?"

"Uh…I think…we're gonna have a baby," he replied a little more enthusiastically.  "I'm gonna be a dad!"  He pulled Max into his arms, and she threw her arms around his neck.

At that moment, the door flew open.

"Max!" Alec called.  "Break it up."

Max and Logan turned to look at Dali and Alec when they walked in the room.

"Dominic's missing," Alec announced.

Max's eyes immediately turned to Dali.  But Dali was gone; in her place was X6-927.

************************************************************************

Logan pulled up the computer system to bring up a map of Seattle, and all of the abandoned warehouses downtown.  Though it was a maze of about 20 square blocks, there were only 8 warehouses…3 were abandoned.   Of those, two were so dilapidated, they were condemned.  That left one, on the corner of 30th street and Market.  Max thought, being out on the edge of downtown Seattle, it wasn't a very good place to hide, but it was the only chance they had.

Dali stood watching the entire time, a cold look on her face, not speaking unless she was spoken to.  Max felt for her.  She remembered the time Logan had been caught, and she had been forced to broadcast herself as Eyes Only.  She remembered the sheer terror that flowed through her veins as she tried desperately to locate him, unsure of whether or not he was okay.  _No one should ever have to go through that._ she thought.  _We'll get him back._  She wasn't sure if Dali had heard her or not, but knew that even if she had, the soldier that she had cast as her outer shell would not let her know.  _I've had it…this time, White's going down._  Max gathered together a few comms.  She knew what had to be done.

************************************************************************

Dali wanted to go alone.  It was her mission.  This was her brother, and she needed to be the one to save him.  But neither Alec nor Max nor Logan would hear of it.  They were all going together, and that was that.

Logan drove his Aztec.  When they got the kids out, they would need enough room for all of them.  But Max rode her bike, and Dali rode with Alec on his.  They sped through the streets, towards the downtown warehouse.

They pulled up outside a tall, dark cement building that looked to be very much empty.  There were no cars in the parking lot, and no lights on inside.  In fact, there didn't look to be much of any activity going on at all.  The group parked, and turned their vehicles off.  They gathered against the side of the building, huddling in the cold and dark.  The sky had turned stormy while they rode, and heavy snowflakes began to fall.  The wind picked up, swirling the snow all around them, making visibility quite low.  Max was glad they wouldn't be spending much more time outside.

"Ok," Dali began.  "We're going to split up."

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Alec began.  "What if White finds one of us first?  We don't stand a chance against him alone, let alone if he has a group of his buddies with him."

"494," Dali stated, "I was second in command in my unit; I excelled in strategic planning as a child.  Splitting up is the most advantageous tactical strategy we have as of yet.  It gives us the highest statistical probability of finding the children alive and unharmed in the shortest amount of time.  So unless you have a better plan…"

Alec was slightly taken aback at the way in which she addressed him, and he held up his hands in surrender.  "Proceed."

"Ok, we split up.  We go our separate ways.  We can communicate via comms.  If anyone has any trouble, you know the signal.  Are there any questions?"  Everyone shook their heads.  "Good.  Let's move out."

The four of them proceeded to the back entrance of the building.  The tall door loomed before them like the ending of the green mile.  It was heavily bound with chains and a large padlock.  Max stepped forward, yielding a thick, metal lock picker, but Dali held out a hand to stop her.  She grabbed the lock, and very quickly but quietly snapped it in half.  The others had only a second to be astonished at her strength before she pulled the door open and slipped inside.

Alec entered after her, and then Max, and Logan brought up the rear.  They descended the steps in front of them, and landed in the intersection of two hallways.  Dali turned to them, and signed that she and Alec would take this floor, and Max and Logan should take the next floor up.

They all nodded, and Logan turned to leave, but Max looked at Dali.

"Good luck," she whispered.

Dali stared past her.  "The success of a mission rides not on luck, but on a well-thought out strategy executed with accuracy and precision."

Max looked away, and nodded before turning to leave.

Dali and Alec crept stealthily along the dark hallway, stopping only in doorways to see empty rooms with shattered windows, or broken wood all over the floor.  They were almost to the end of the hall, when a voice sounded in their ear.

"I found them.  They're on the second floor," Logan's voice said.

Alec and Dali turned on their heels, and headed towards the kids.

************************************************************************

Dominic was gagged and bound tightly to a pole with Susie at his back.  Wendy and Sean were also gagged and bound back to back.  Dominic tried desperately to work at the ropes in hopes of loosening them enough to be able to slip out.  But he only succeeded in giving both he and Susie severe rope burn, though she was too proud to admit it.  His thoughts went back to the afternoon…

_Sean, Dominic, Susie and Wendy all crept silently along the perimeter fence, taking care to stay inside the shadows at all times.  They were almost caught twice, but managed to escape.  They hopped the fence, and stood on the outside for a moment, relishing in what they had accomplished.  Then they took off running._

_A few blocks down, they found what Dominic called a playground.  Sean, Susie and Wendy had never heard of such a thing.  A place with public toys where you could play and not be punished?  Such a thing was not a part of their vocabulary.  They stayed there for a while, and lost themselves in the fun and games of the outside world.  It was only when a sector police car pulled up did they leave for greener pastures._

_They made their way through neighborhoods, peeking in windows all the way.  Once, they saw a boy about their age.  He smiled and approached them, waving.  He made a move to open the window, when his mother came up behind him, scolding him and shutting the curtain._

_The foursome then made its way to the park in downtown __Seattle__.  Dominic told them stories the whole way there.  Stories of how children were really supposed to live.  He told them about birthdays and school and playstation 2…The X-series marveled at his stories, and begged him for more._

_They strolled through the park, leaping through the branches in the trees for a while, before deciding to head back to __Terminal__City__.  They made their way back to the perimeter fence, and prepared to leap it, when Dominic felt a hand on his shoulder and a cold voice in his ear._

_"Going somewhere, Brother Korman?"_

_That was the last thing he heard.  He felt a prick in his neck, and darkness became him._

Then he had woken up here.  White had made a brief appearance, but was called away on another important matter.  It was then that Dominic had summoned all his strength, and contacted Dali.  Other than the dream-walking, he had never tried to contact anyone from afar.  So he wasn't sure if she had even gotten the message.  She hadn't responded…or if she had, he hadn't gotten anything.  So he could only hope she was on her way.  Or maybe it would be better if she didn't come.  That was exactly what White wanted right?  And he already felt bad enough for having gotten his friends into this mess; he knew he'd never be able to live with himself if something happened to his older sister.

The door opened and White flew in, in a rage, slamming the door behind him.

"Et tu, Brother Korman?" he sighed angrily.

"Only for you, Brother White," Dominic replied, refusing to be intimidated.

White stooped so he could look into Dominic's face, expecting to see fear.  Instead, however, he saw fortitude.  "Strong, just like your sister.  I should have known."  He stood up and towered over the young children.  "But strength of mind will only get you so far.  You betrayed us, Brother Korman.  Do you deny it?"

"No."

"Then you know what the penalty is.  The Committee has already sentenced you to death upon capture.  And do you know who they've put in charge of carrying out your sentence?" he asked menacingly.

"Captain Kangaroo?" Dominic suggested, never missing a beat.  His friends burst into nervous giggles.

"You jest as though you didn't know you were in the last few moments of your life.  My advice to you is to think very long and very hard about what you've done.  As for your friends…well, I do hope they've enjoyed their taste of freedom, miniscule though it may be."

White pulled a small pistol from his holster.  It was then that Dominic began to quiver with fear.  Seeing the object of his proposed demise didn't serve to appease his fright any more.  The door swung open, and in stepped Dali.

The moment he saw her, he knew something was wrong.  It wasn't his sister that stood before him, but a carbon copy, with a military casing.

"Fe' nos tal, 927!  How nice of you to join us."

"Oh spare me the pleasantries Ames.  I'm not here for a tea party.  Let the children go and I'll let you walk out of here alive."

"Hmm, well color me confused, but I didn't realize you were in any kind of position to be dishing out demands.  As it stands, I'm in charge.  And I can see that you left your army at home, which means we'll be handling this my way."

Alec, Max and Logan all entered and stood beside her.

"Think again," Alec said icily.  Seconds later, however, he heard the sound of a gun cocking in his ear, and realized that they were surrounded by four of White's buffoons, who must've been hiding in the shadows.  "Great…just great."  He wanted to turn and attack them; knowing that they could easily take them out, but Dali's voice entered his head.

_Don't!  If any of those guns goes off, the kids could be hit._

White lined them all against the wall.

"So much for 'a well thought-out strategy executed with accuracy and precision'," Max chided Dali.  "Any other bright ideas Einstein?"

"Can it, 452," Dali responded without even looking at her.  "We don't have time for this."

"Hello!  We don't even have time to _breathe_!" Max hissed at her.  She looked over at White's cold eyes, which almost seemed to smile.  He lined his guards up facing them.

"Ready…"  The men raised their guns.  "Aim…"  The sound of a thousand guns being cocked filled the transgenics ears.  "Pause for dramatic effect…Better yet…"  He walked over to Dali, and pulled her out of the line of fire.  "I may still have use for you 927.  Besides…I'm very curious to see how an unfeeling soldier deals with the loss of everything important in their life before their very eyes."

She looked up into White's eyes.  "In case you haven't been keeping track, you've already done that to me…twice."  She looked away.  _Guys, when I say go, go!_  She heard Dominic's quick response.

_I won't leave you._

_Damn it, Dominic.  I am a superior ranking officer.  I order you to do it.  When I say…_

White opened his mouth to give the last order.  "Fi—" His voice was cut off by the sound of a single gun shot.  His officers thought nothing of it; figuring that one or the other was a little trigger happy, they all began firing.

However, Dali had realized what had happened.  _NOW!_  The bullets flew in every direction, hitting the walls, and causing all kinds of spray from debris and smoke and haze to fill the air.  When the firing stopped, a series of blows could be heard.  The smoke cleared, and Logan, Dominic, Susie, Wendy and Sean all stood up.  Max and Alec both had fighting stances in the middle of an array of unconscious soldiers.  Dali stood with her foot on the chest of the one of the guards, and she looked up into the eyes of the boy who had saved her life.  Her eyes lost the dark look, and a sort of sadness overcame her as they filled with tears.

Randy also stood with his foot on a chest.  The chest of a man shot dead from a bullet in the head.  He looked into her eyes.  _I love you Lace._  Randy gave a small smile, and disappeared just as quickly as he had appeared.  Ames White wasn't going to be a problem anymore.

************************************************************************

It wasn't long before they had all made their way back to the vehicles.  Dali held back as the kids piled into the Aztec.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a sec?" Max pulled her aside.  "Look, I'm sure you know being from Manticore and everything that apologies aren't exactly our department… but I'm sorry about that Einstein comment I made back there."

"Ah, it's ok," Dali reassured her, "Sometimes people tend to get a little nervous when they think they're about to die.  Besides, if this mission had failed tonight, it would have been my fault.  Not that I would've been alive long to feel guilty about it…"

"Everything worked out for the better, so let's just concentrate on that."

Logan approached the two of them.  "You girls ready to ride?"

"Actually," Dali started, "there's something I have to do." Dominic also approached them, impatient with waiting in the car.

"Where you goin Dali?"

"Nowhere," she answered quickly, "I just need a minute; I'll be right behind you."

Dominic cocked his head to the side and stared at her.  He couldn't really tell if she was lying.  He never had been able to.  "Are you lying to me?"

She sighed.  "Look, it's just there's something I need to do.  And I don't know how long it's gonna be, so…"

"So you want us to go ahead without you?" Logan questioned.

Dali nodded.  "Can you look after Shorty please?"

This time, Logan nodded.  "Sure thing, I think we've all had a very trying day.  So we'll probably hit the sack when we get home."

"You sure you're gonna be okay?" Max questioned her suspiciously.

"Absolutely," Dali responded with a little smile.  She knelt in front of her brother.  "Shorty, you listen to everything Max and Logan have to say.  Got it?"  He nodded slowly; still not quite sure that she wasn't keeping something from him.  She held her palm up to his.  "Angels in heaven, from up above…"

He smiled and matched her palm with his.  "Are looking down on me with love."

"Hey, I'll always be watching over you.  Just like tonight."  She hugged him quickly, and turned to leave.  "See ya around Max, Logan."  She walked over to join Alec on his bike.  "Hey you," she greeted him.

"You?...Well, I guess that's better than 494…"

Dali smiled and blushed a little.  "Hey, that wasn't me.  That was 927.  It's like she's constantly fighting me for control of my body, and when I knew I needed her skills to save Dominic…I just let her win."

Alec smiled back.  "It's okay…just try to keep her locked away if at all possible…she's a little egotistical."

Dali's smiled dropped.  "Alec, can you do me a favor?"

He turned serious as well.  "Sure, what do you need?"

"Well, actually, it's two favors.  I need to borrow your bike."

Alec sighed and laughed, but got off of it.  "Ok, but I want it back tonight."

Dali nodded without smiling as she swung a leg over the bike to sit without starting it.  She turned to face Alec.  "Will you promise me…that if anything ever happens to me that you'll take care of my little brother?"

Alec's face sobered once again.  "If anything happens to you?  What are you talking about?  Nothing's gonna happen."

"I know," Dali told him, "but after what happened in there…well, I can't be too careful.  Just promise that if anything does happen, you'll take care of him…and you won't let him forget me."

Alec wrapped his arms around her.  "I promise."

Dali relaxed in his embrace for a few moments, inhaling his scent, wishing with all her heart that she could tell him where she really was going.  But she knew if she did, he would only try to stop her.  And she needed to do this.  Not only for herself, but for everyone, and their future.  She finally pulled herself away.

"I'll see you at home?" Alec asked her as he kissed her forehead.

She closed her eyes and nodded slowly.  "See ya around, Alec."  She turned away so he couldn't see the lone tear that had slid down her cheek and starting the ignition, rode off into the night, never looking back.

Post: Ok, guys, thanks for all the reviews…you guys are the best.  Next chapter coming soon.


	21. Chapter 20:Repent, and Thou Shalt Be Sav...

Disclaimer: I own Dali, Justin, Shorty, Susie, Wendy, JJ, Rose, Max, Logan, and Alec…oh wait, take out those last three :-(

Time-frame: Same as always

All of you wonderful reviewers (old and faithful; and new and fresh) you are BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE, and if anybody tells you differently…well, usually I don't condone violence, but punch 'em in the face!

A/N: I think I have mixed feelings…

Chapter 20

…Repent, and Thou Shalt Be Saved

Even as the wind whipped through Max's hair, she knew something was wrong.  Alec must've felt it too.  It had to be either that or he wasn't paying attention, because he was gripping way too hard for comfort.  Once they had reached Terminal City, she'd be sure to give him a piece of her mind.

They pulled around the perimeter fence, and snuck in through the back.  The children were quiet as they made their way back to the barracks.  Max, Logan and Alec followed them back to their room.  The kids filed in and stood at attention at the feet of their bed.

Alec and Logan waited by the door, as Max paced in front of them.  Finally, she stopped and stood looking from one to the next.

She began in a low, slow voice.  "I cannot even begin to tell you how disappointed I am."  The children said nothing, but continued to stare straight ahead.  "You not only put your own lives in danger, but endangered the lives of everyone who was forced to come to your rescue.  For the next three weeks, you will be lucky if you see the light of day.  Now go to sleep."

"Ma'am, yes ma'am!" the children replied, afraid to be disobedient.

Logan and Alec opened the door and left, and Max came out after them, slamming the door behind her.

Alec stood looking at her, the look on her face all too familiar.  He had seen it just about every time she'd looked at him since he'd first met her.  It meant trouble.

"Uh Max, don't you think maybe you were a little hard on them?  I mean, they are just kids."

She turned her glare on him.  "Alec, my boneheaded and naïve brother.  We almost died tonight, or did you miss the firing squad aiming assault rifles at your head?"

Alec said nothing, but turned and walked away.

Max sighed and turned to Logan.  "Do you think I was being too hard on them?"

He looked away thoughtfully.  "I think they needed to be made aware of who was in charge.  And I think if you think you were too hard on them, at least wait until the morning to tell them.  Give them the night to think about what they did."

Max nodded and leaned a head on his shoulder.  "I'm tired.  Can we go to bed now?"

Logan looked down at her, noticing that she looked even more rundown than she had earlier, when she'd come to his room, to tell him…Well, they hadn't even really had a chance to talk about it, but the way she looked, she wasn't going to be too coherent much longer.  He nodded, and they headed off toward his room.  But Max still had a nagging voice in the back of her head telling her something was wrong.

************************************************************************

Though she was completely exhausted, Max couldn't sleep.  Something was bothering her.  Her restless shifting soon woke Logan.

"Something wrong?" he asked her sleepily.

She shook her head.  "I don't know…I was just thinking…"

"About what?"

"The last thing Dali said to us earlier."

"What? When she talked to Alec?"

"No, before that."

"Asking us to look after her brother?"

"No, after that…"

"'See ya around'?"

Max knitted her eyebrows together and sat up in the bed.  She began to hear past conversations with Dali flowing through her head…"_Lying is my specialty, I do it all the time…Lately it just seems like everything's spiraling out of control…I think maybe it's time for me to keep going…Don't make the same mistake I did; cherish every second; life is too short…I always say goodbye meaning to say hello again, it's when I say 'see ya around' that you know something's up…there's something I need to do, and I don't know how long it's gonna be…"_  Max shot out of the bed.  "I gotta find Dali."

Logan sat up and looked at her confusedly.  "It can't wait until the morning?"

"Logan, it's really not that late.  I have to find her now."

She threw the door open only to find both Alec and Shorty standing there, deciding who would knock.  Shorty found his voice first.

"Something's wrong with Dali," he whispered.

************************************************************************

Dali stood watching everything happening from afar.  She knew there was a sniper somewhere, but there were too many places they could hide.  Wasn't the NSA competent enough to find a better place to hold a controversial press conference?  After all, it was the president's daughter.  She looked from rooftop to rooftop of the buildings around her.  Seeing nothing, she trained her eyes to the woman at the podium at the top of the steps of City Hall.  She'd been there for more than an hour, and nothing suspicious had happened.  She was getting antsy, almost restless.  She hated spending too much time in one space.  The president's daughter was very into her speech, and the rallyers were right along with her, but she looked as though she were getting ready to wrap it up.  Dali hoped that for her sake, she did it, and did it quickly.

************************************************************************

Max's bike cut through the night.  She _knew_ something was wrong.  She should have stayed with Dali, or convinced her to come back to Terminal City.  What kind of commanding officer doesn't look after his troops?

As soon as Dominic had told her where he thought she was, they had taken off.  She had made Dominic ride with Alec.  She needed her space.  They pulled up a block from City Hall.  They would have pulled closer, but the multitude of people in the streets made it almost impossible to drive.  They were going to have to walk the rest of the way, so they split up hoping to cover more ground.

Max made her way, cutting through the crowd, making her way towards the steps of the old stone building, thinking she may catch Dali there.  She surveyed the audience, hoping to catch a glimpse of her.  She didn't see her, but searching in the windows of the buildings surrounding them, she saw a middle aged woman with light brown eyes, and straight black hair, observing the scenery with interest.  She looked oddly familiar…In her hand looked to be a .45 caliber semi-automatic hand gun with focus.  _Those things aren't even legal!_  Max turned in her direction, and slid through the crowd as fast as she could.  She only hoped she would make it in time.

************************************************************************

Alec and Shorty caught sight of Dali, hiding by the side of a building, close to the steps of City Hall.  They both breathed a sigh of relief, and began to make their way towards her.  The crowd was thick, and seemed to be getting more riled by the minute as the president's daughter spoke her last words.

"One day we will live in a world where we will not have to fear for the lives of our children…where we will not have to look over our shoulders to see if we're being hunted by a mutant, half-man, half-animal."  Dali had heard this speech before.  She stood transfixed as she watched the figure at the stand, instigating the crowds.  "Since the beginning of time, our human soldiers have done a fine job in battle, why should we need to send in animals to do our own job?  Pretty soon, they'll be thinking that they deserve our jobs, our families, when will we be safe?"  In the back of her mind, Dali heard what she thought might be her little brother's voice, but that couldn't be it.  He was safe at home back in Terminal City.  She knew the shot would be coming soon, she had to get the first daughter out of the way…She crept closer to the stage.  "The answer is when the entire transgenic and Conclave populations have been eradicated!"  A cheer went up through the crowd.  Dali raced up on stage, and threw herself at the young woman, throwing her off balance just as a single gunshot rang through the air.

************************************************************************

Max scaled the steps taking them three at a time, wondering, hoping she would make it in time.  Sure, she hated the first daughter, but assassination was taking it a little far.  She threw open the door, and was greeted by darkness and nothingness.  It was then that the gun went off…not from that room, but the one next door.  _Damn it!  I was one door off.  How could I have miscalculated?_  She bounded over to the next room and threw herself at the door, which broke off its hinges.  The woman standing at the window with the gun in her hand turned to look at her with grim defeat all over her face.  _Dali's Aunt Brenda!  I knew she looked familiar…_Max could hear through the open window the people outside running and screaming from below.  Brenda raised the gun to her own head, but Max blurred over to her and knocked it from her hand, before landing a solid left hook to the side of her head, rendering her unconscious.  Then she turned and headed toward the exit, hoping against wish that she wouldn't find what she thought she would.

************************************************************************

Alec and Shorty, who had been desperately calling his sister's name both physically and psychically, watched Dali dart across the stage, and saw the two figures fall as the gunshot rang through the air.

Alec's breath caught in his throat.  _If there is a God out there, please don't let it be…_

Dominic's gaze lay on the two fallen bodies at the top of the stairs.  He already knew what he was going to find.

************************************************************************

Dali picked herself up off the ground, and pulled the first daughter to her feet.  She looked her in the eye.

"End the war," she whispered.  Then she turned around, and lifted her hair to reveal the 13 digit barcode at the nape of her neck.  She turned to see the young woman nod dourly.  Then she brought her hand up to the growing blood spot in the middle of her shirt before falling to her knees.  Several agents, who had been delayed in the panic that broke out after the gun went off, dashed to the top of the stairs to help the first lady off to the side, checking her for wounds and making sure she wasn't hurt.

"Check the girl!" she kept insisting.  "Check the girl!" But they ignored her pleas, radioing for back up, with control of the mob that had broken through the streets.

Alec and Shorty finally made their way to the top of the steps and knelt at Dali's side.  Alec pulled her up by the shoulders so she leaned against him.

"Dali, wake up!" her brother pleaded.  Her eyes slowly fluttered open as Max finally approached them.

"Oh my god, Dali!"  She, too, knelt beside the young girl, and lifted her shirt a little to see the open gash in her stomach oozing a red river of blood down her side.  She put pressure on it, hoping to stop the flow.  "Come on, Alec, we have to get her to the hospital!"

Alec began to shift her, but Dali stopped him with a grip on his arm.

"No," she whispered, "there's no time.  They won't be able to save me, and I'd rather spend the rest of my time here with you."

"Don't talk like that!" Dominic scolded her.  "They can save you!  They have to!"

She shook her head slowly.  "No, Shorty.  Not this time…I want you to listen to whatever Max and Logan and Alec tell you."

"No!" he persisted.  "I won't have to, you'll tell me.  You can't leave me!"

"I'll always be with you," she said, her breathing getting more and more ragged with every breath.  She turned to Alec, and smiled a little.  Then, summoning all the strength she could, she pulled a folded paper out of her pocket, and pressed it into his hand.  "Every time you look at the stars…" she whispered.  Tears filled her eyes, and she found she could say nothing else.  She hoped the letter would say everything she wanted to but couldn't.  She looked up at Max, trying hard not to lose consciousness.  "I did it, Max.  I did what I was supposed to…but it's not over.  One greater will rise; one with power and wisdom matched only by the Chosen One.  You—" She coughed a little.  "You must save them."

Max held Dali's hand in hers as a tear slipped down her cheek.  "Save who?" her voice barely whispered.

"Save…the world."  Dali breathed her last, and sunk back against Alec's chest.

************************************************************************

Dali's life flashed before her eyes…

_A three-year-old Lacey saluted her superior officers when she was rewarded for the best aim in her marksmanship class…_

_A five-year-old Lacey stood and watched as the man was dragged away, a smiling Lydecker with a hand on her shoulder.  She hadn't meant to rat on him.  Her orders were to read the man's mind, and tell her superiors what he was thinking.  She guessed he shouldn't have been selling Manticore's secrets to the highest bidder…_

_A six-year-old Lacey jumped the perimeter fence.  She looked back at the TAC team officers, who weren't far behind, and tripped on an uprooted tree.  She gasped as she sprawled on the ground, and flipped over just as one of the guards aimed his gun at her, finger on the trigger.  Then an X-5 kicked the gun from his hands, and landed a blow to his chest, knocking him back into a tree.  X5-599 reached down and pulled her to her feet before heading off in another direction…_

_Dali at age 10, splashing with Justin in the river…_

_Dali at age 13, watching Dominic at his piano recital.  He sat in the midst of the room, fingers frozen above the keys.  She left her seat, and strolled up to him casually, sitting down beside him.  She began to play the beginning of his piece, and he smiled up at her before joining in…_

_Dali at age 16, running into the room to find a dead Justin lying in bed.  Then remembering nothing as she was hit from behind…and waking back up in Manticore…_

_Dali remembered spending three months at Manticore before the mysterious night when the building caught fire, and all the doors opened, freeing them.  It was only during her month on the run did she learn that it was Max who had freed them…_

_Playing chess games with her brother…stolen kisses on the rooftops with Alec…the day Cindy brought a camera to __Terminal__City__, and Dali had taken picture after picture, saying that pictures were memories on paper…_

The pictures began to fade out, and Dali was surrounded by darkness…

************************************************************************

Dominic sensed his sister's spirit leave her body.  His head turned away, and the feeling of Max's arms enveloped him.  He tried desperately to remember everything he'd been taught over the past year.  He was a soldier.  Soldiers didn't cry.  But as he began to remember everything that Dali had taught him, and all the times they'd spent together, good and bad, the tears sprang back to his eyes.  It wasn't long before they had spilled over, and his vision turned blurry.  He buried his head in Max's shoulder, seeking comfort he knew could only come from one person…and now, she was gone.

************************************************************************

Alec felt Dali's body go limp in his arms.  He wanted to scream; he wanted to cry; he wanted to lie down and die beside her, but his body allowed him to do none of these things.  Instead, he unfolded the note she'd given him.

_Hey Alec,_

_If you're reading this right now, I'm probably either dead, or on my way to being.  I've had this terrible feeling for awhile…and I know it's coming soon.  Take care of Shorty for me, and listen to Max when she talks…she really does know what she's talkin about.  I know that you still have feelings for a girl named Rachel…I hear you talk about her in your sleep sometimes.  It's never a good dream though…I can tell.  And I wonder what I can do to make the hurt go away.  When we first met, I thought you were the most arrogant, self-centered egotistical guy to walk the planet…then I met __Ames__ White.  Since then, I've come to see the beautiful person that you really are, and you've become very special to me.  I just want you to know that after everything we've been through, I do love you, even though I never said it.  I guess somehow I knew this day was coming, and I didn't want you to be angry with me.  I never expected that you would say it to me…but maybe if you or I had, things would be a little different.  I want you to go on Alec, meet other people, other girls, have friends, and have relationships.  Don't let anybody take that away from you.  Most importantly, don't let Manticore win…I love you._

_Dali_

Something fell from the fold in the paper, and as Alec reached over, he gazed hard at it.  A picture from the day Cindy had brought her camera to Terminal City.  The picture was of him and Dali, smiling at the camera, cheek by cheek as she rested back against his chest and he wrapped his arms around her.  On the back, she had written: _A memory on paper…with love, there are no boundaries…Reach for the stars Alec, reach for the stars…_

As the paper dropped from his hand, Alec's heart felt as though it were breaking in two.  He leaned his forehead against hers and closed his eyes as a single tear dropped from his eye onto her cheek.  "I love you," he whispered.  And for the first time in his life, Alec cried.

Post:  Yes, I know, I cried too.  I know what you're all thinking, 'how could I do that to Alec…again? If anybody, he doesn't deserve it.'  I completely agree, but hey, someone had to go, and Dali drew the short straw.  Look at the category, it says drama…crying is very dramatic.  Anyway, sorry.  I decided since you guys were so open and honest on your thoughts on the story, that I would post the next chapter with this one. Congratulations on your gift.  Let it be known that on this day at this time, in this year, I have finished my story (sniff, sniff)


	22. Epilogue: Through the Darkness, Shines a...

Disclaimer: Must we go through this…again…

Time-frame: Uh…what was it I said again?

A/N:  Ok, I realize that some people are a little angry with me.  Heck, I'm a little angry with myself.  But that's okay; anger is the second step in the grieving process.  Now together, we'll come to accept it, we'll mourn, and then we'll attempt to move on with our lives.

Epilogue

Through the Darkness, Shines a Light

July 31st, 2021

Dominic knelt in the soft grass, and brushed his fingers over the engraved lettering in the stone: __

_Here lies_

_Dalianna Lichelle Korman_

_July 31st, 2002__ to __January 26th, 2021___

_Beloved Sister and Friend, we miss you always_

_Angels in Heaven, from up above…_

"Are looking down on me with love," Dominic whispered as his finger traced the familiar words.  It had been six months and five days since his sister had left the world, and every day was a struggle.  He tilted his head back to drink up some of the rare Seattle sun.

His mind wandered to her last words. "Save…the world."  He knew something big was coming, and whatever it was, they had to be ready for it.  The Conclave had fallen apart after White's untimely demise.  His Aunt Brenda had been found and arrested, thrown in jail for attempted assassination, never again to see the light of day.  And the president's daughter had completely jumped from one ship to the next.  It seemed as though an attempt on her life made her see the error of her ways.  She had fought long and hard, and in the end, rights and freedom for transgenics everywhere was given.

Apparently the population of America wasn't just as fickle.  Sure, most people had settled down, and found something else to occupy their time, leaving the transgenics to do as they pleased, but Dominic still saw signs of hatred for his friends everywhere.  Sometimes, people just gave them weird looks; other times, they hung signs in their windows spouting messages like "Die Trannies Die!" or "Humans and Animals aren't supposed to be equal!".

He grew angry when he saw things like that.  They weren't specifically directed towards him, but they might as well have been.  Still, things were better than they had been before, and that was reason for any kind of celebration you could have.

He laid down his handful of small flowers at the headstone.  "I miss you," he mumbled.  A strong hand gripped his shoulders, and he looked up into the face of the guy who had become like his own brother.

Alec smiled down at the young boy.  They had grown close over the past few months.  Alec could see why Dali had been so protective of him, and he kept his promise to look after him.

He, too, looked down at the headstone before him.  Training at Manticore had taught him to be hardened and indifferent, and Alec in all his naivety had accepted and embraced his teachings.  But after Manticore had burned down, he realized in the real world, it was every man for himself.  And meeting Max had only pushed him to further resolve that it was now that he needed his Manticore training more than ever.  

Especially after everything that had happened with Rachel.  _How did this happen?  I promised myself after Rachel, that there would never be another.  Am I a glutton for punishment?_ Yet thinking back on everything he and Dali had done and been through together, he realized he wouldn't trade a second of it. She had shown Alec that there were good things in this poor-excuse-for-a-world as well.  She had taught him things; shown him the world in a new light, and it had changed him.

Not that he was disregarding everything he knew from before he had met her, old habits were hard to break, but it helped if he believed that she was somewhere watching over him…

In the deep of his pocket a phone rang.  He pulled it out and flipped the cover open.

"Talk to me," he announced.

"Now see, why you gotta answer the phone like that?"  Original Cindy's voice came through loud and clear.

"What can I say Cindy?  I'm a man of a thousand trades: answering the phone, not one of them."

"Ok, smart ass.  Where are you anyway?"

Alec hesitated.  He didn't know if anyone else knew about his frequent trips to Dali's grave.  He and Dominic had bumped into each other there once, and from then on, just went together.

"I'm out," he answered casually, "Who wants to know?"

"Actually, Max wants to know."  Cindy's attitude shone through her voice like a ray of sunshine.

"Is that a fact?  Hey, where are you guys anyway?  I tried calling Max's cell this morning, and nobody answered.  So I tried Logan's place, but nobody answered there either.  I figured maybe they were somewhere together, getting—"

"Alec!" OC cut him off.  "Max is a pregnant woman."

"That doesn't mean anything," he replied with a smirk on his face, though he knew she couldn't see it.  "Pregnant women have needs too."

"Could you at least _try _to keep your brain in your head and out of your pants?  Just for a minute?  Look, she wants to see you, we're at Harrington Hospital."

The name immediately took Alec back to the hours he and Dali had spent in the closet there.  "The hospital?" his voice took a worried tone.  "Why?  Is she okay?"

Original Cindy smiled in spite of herself.  "She's fine…damn, that girl changed you like no other.  I wish she was still here.  She and Max was the only ones who knew how to keep you in check."

Alec smiled a little to himself.  "Yeah, I wish she was still here too."

"Look, anyways, get your butt here.  Max wants to see you…or be seen by you…whatever, you know what I mean, just get here.  I got work.  Later."  The tone clicked in his ear, and the phone shut off.  He turned to look down at Dominic, who still stood in front of his sister's grave.

"Alright, Sport, we're rollin," he told him confidently.

Shorty looked up at him.  "Where we goin?"

"Hospital, Max wants to see us."

"Why?"

"I don't know," Alex said slowly and carefully.  "But if this another one of her tricks to lure us to the hospital just so she can be sure we have help when she gets done with us…I'd rather find out sooner than later.  Let's ride."

Shorty kissed his fingertips and pressed them to his sister's name.  "Bye, Doll, I'll come by later."  They turned and headed for Alec's bike, leaving the cemetery behind.

************************************************************************

Harrington had cleaned up a bit since the last time Alec had been there.  It smelled nicer, the hallways were brighter, cheerier…even the nurses and aides seemed to be a little happier.  He and Dominic approached the front desk.

"Hi," Alec began cautiously.  He didn't care how happy the nurses looked, especially at the front desk.  They could keep you backed up for hours sitting there waiting to see your loved one, if they so chose.  "We're here to see Max Guevara."

The receptionist looked up at him.  "Relation?" she asked monotonously.

"She's my sister," Alec and Shorty answered simultaneously.  They glanced at each other quickly, and then looked away.

The receptionist looked from one to the other with a raised eyebrow, and then turned to thumb through her book, scanning the list of names.

"Room 324.  Take the stairs to the 3rd floor, end of the hall, make a right, it's the second door on your left, you can't miss it."

"Thanks," Alec mumbled, in a rush to get out of there.  He hoped Dominic had a better sense of direction than he did.

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Max lay in bed watching the few cumulous clouds float by through the open window.  She reached and pulled at the collar of the thin hospital gown.  A small bead of sweat rolled down the side of her head, and she pulled at the strands of hair that were continuously matted to the back of her neck.  It was really warm.  Even with all the steps the hospital had been taking to make sure the patients were comfortable.  A soft breeze rose from outside, coming through the window, providing her with a little relief.

She continued to gaze, thinking about how her life had changed in less than a year.

"Penny for your thoughts," came a soft, familiar voice.

She turned to see Logan standing at the door to her room.  She smiled at him, and slid over so he could sit next to her.  She settled against his shoulder and continued to gaze out the window.

"Just thinkin'," she finally responded.

"About?" he murmured against her hair, breathing in her scent.

"Life," she answered vaguely.

"Anything I know about?"

She sighed.  "I was just wondering about what Dali said.  You know, her warning."  Logan nodded silently.  "Whatever it is, it's gonna be worse than anything we've dealt with before, and I don't know if we'll be ready for it."

He kissed the top of her head.  "We'll be ready.  It's already started.  Freedom for your family was the first step.  People said it couldn't be done.  Transgenics said it _wouldn't_ be done.  But it was.  Whatever's coming, we'll be ready for it.  You're not alone you know."

Max nodded.  They were silent for a few seconds, just enjoying each other's presence.  The door opened slowly and Max looked up and smiled.  A young woman in a nursing uniform stepped in.  "Here's Mommy and Daddy," she cooed to the little bundle wrapped in pink in her arms.  She walked over to the side of the bed, and laid the baby in Max's arms.

"She's perfectly healthy, and the doctor says the two of you can leave as soon as you're ready.  I'll the bottle here on the bedside table.  If you need anything else, just press the button on the side of the bed."  She smiled at them, and turned and left.

Max smiled down at the baby.  "Hello there, my wonderful, sweet baby girl."  The baby smiled at her, and Max kissed her forehead.  Then she turned to look at the man sitting next to her, seemingly entranced by the seven and a half pounds of joy that wriggled in her arms.  "Wow, Logan," she whispered, "look what we did."

Logan tore his eyes away from the baby to look at her.  Without saying a word, he leaned forward and placed his lips on hers.

"Hey, you two, slow it down.  Isn't that how you got that one?" came a familiar voice from the doorway.  "Besides, aren't you supposed to wait like six to eight weeks or something?"  Max and Logan looked up as Alec walked in the room, with Dominic at his side.

"Not that it's any of your business," Max responded, "but it's only two weeks.  Transgenic, remember?"

Alec rolled his eyes.

"What took you guys so long to get here?" Logan asked.

Dominic glared up at Alec.  "This genius got us lost.  I told you she said to take a right at the end of the hall."

Alec scoffed.  "I could've sworn she said left."

"Whatever."  Dominic bounded over to the bed, and hopped up into Logan's lap, who grunted at the sudden weight.  Shorty looked down at the baby; she watched him with big, bright, curious blue eyes under long dark lashes like her mother's.  Her copper skin glowed in the daylight.  He held out his finger, and the baby took hold of it.  He smiled.  "She's strong."

Max smiled.  "I got a feeling you guys are gonna be spendin a lot of time together."

Shorty looked up at her.  "I'll learn her everything I know," he said seriously.

"Like what?" Logan asked cautiously.

"Like how to kick your butt at chess," Dom smiled triumphantly.

Alec laughed at them, shaking his head.  "So, uh, this kid got a name yet?"

Max's smile dropped, and she thought hard for a moment.  Then she turned to look at Logan.  "What do you think?" she asked him.

He looked down at the baby, whose eyes had begun to droop.  "I think…I think we should name her Dali…without her, none of this would have been possible."

Max nodded and looked down at her daughter.  "Dali," she murmured with a smile on her face, "like the Spanish painter Salvador…I like it."

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Post: Ok, that's it.  Shows over people.  Bittersweet ending, yes, I know.  When I get inspired to do my next story, I think I'll request that my muse send me vibes for a happier one.  Thanks again for all your support.


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